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Emergency Guidelines

In general, we advise our citizens to be aware of what to do in an emergency situation, ranging from natural disasters to terrorist attacks and to industrial accidents. The Korean authorities have guidelines, in English.

Periodically, civil defence drills or ulgi (을지훈련) take place which are accompanied by a test sounding of sirens.

You can also look for shelters near you online. This website is available in Korean only so we suggest that you ask colleagues and friends to assist you in confirming where the shelters are near your house and place of work.

[For information when you enter the website the first box asks for your city/province, the second box for your district (Si/Gun/Gu) and the third box for your local area (Eup/Myun/dong). The Final box type asks for the type of facility you are looking for - shelter is the last on the list.]

You can also install an app to give you the details nearby shelters in English. Please consult the document for instructions.

In addition, we advise Irish nationals to at all times:

  • Ensure your passport is valid and to hand;
  • Ensure your immediate family members/dual citizen family members have valid passports and/or up-to-date valid travel/exit documents;
  • Ensure you have valid travel insurance;
  • Monitor the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade travel advice
  • Monitor local media reports;
  • Follow DFA&T social media twitter account for travel alerts @dfatravel

In the event of an emergency which requires taking shelter, leaving home or evacuation, at short notice, citizens should have a kit bag at hand (one for each person). In that kit bag there should be:

  • photocopies of identity documentation
  • flash light/ AM transistor/matches in wet-proof bag
  • a litre of drinking water/biscuits/dry fruit/pulses (tins of beans)
  • vinyl mat/notepaper/lead pencils/penknife
  • ziplock bags/handy wipes
  • first aid kit
  • essential spare clothing/footware

The Embassy advises citizens to be clear what the arrangements are for the local resident public in the event of an emergency which may come in different forms. If you are in a major crisis once you have made sure you are safe you should, if local communications systems allow, contact a family member as soon as possible and let them know you are safe.

You should try to contact the Embassy, in the first instance, as concerns may already have been raised to be informed as to your safety. If contact is not possible, you should try to contact the Consular Assistance Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs (+353 1 408 2000, a 24 hours number). If it is possible, please also monitor the Department of Foreign Affairs website as information about the emergency and details of any evacuation plans will also be made available there.

If you or any of your family or travelling companions has been injured or you are aware of people who are missing, please let a friend or family member or the Embassy in Seoul know.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin has in place an emergency plan in the event that an emergency occurs abroad and in which Irish citizens are affected. The plan depends on the nature of the emergency. Part of the plan is the setting up of a Crisis Centre in the Department which would be staffed to keep in touch with the Embassy in Seoul and for which special free phone numbers in Ireland would be activated.