Free phone interpreters in Korea: 1345, 1577-0071, 1577-1366, 1330, BBB 1588-5644 — which number to call for what
Korea has more free phone interpretation than most residents realise, but each line is run by a different ministry for a different purpose. Call the wrong one and you get redirected; call the right one and an interpreter stays on the line with you and the office.
This page sorts them by situation. Hours and languages were checked against the official sites in October 2026 — recheck before you rely on them, especially around public holidays.
The quick answer, by situation
Visa, stay, Alien Registration Card, or you simply do not know whom to ask: 1345. Work problems — unpaid wages, workplace change, contract, dormitory — on an E-9 or similar visa: 1577-0071. Night, weekend, or a crisis at home: 1577-1366. An everyday call that needs an interpreter right now — a clinic, a shop, a lost item: 1330 or BBB 1588-5644. A Seoul city service: 120. Fire, ambulance or police: 119 and 112, yourself, directly.
1345 — Immigration Contact Center (Ministry of Justice)
The general-purpose line for foreigners. Weekdays 09:00–22:00. Twenty languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Thai, Indonesian, Mongolian, Uzbek and Russian are available until 18:00; after 18:00 only Korean, English and Chinese.
Its strongest feature is three-way interpretation with public bodies: a district office, a health center, an immigration office, the KDCA 1339 call center. If an office cannot understand you, ask them to connect 1345 and the interpreter joins the call. It is not meant for private businesses such as a clinic or a landlord — for those it will usually point you elsewhere.
What to say first: your language, then the office you need to talk to. Have your Alien Registration number ready if the question is about your own case.
1577-0071 — Foreign Workforce Counseling Center (Ministry of Employment and Labor)
For problems at work under the Employment Permit System and similar visas: wages, overtime, workplace change, contract terms, dormitory conditions, severance. Open 365 days, 09:00–18:00, in 18 languages including Nepali, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Khmer, Burmese, Mongolian, Uzbek, Sinhala and Bangla.
This is a counseling line rather than an interpretation relay: you speak to a counselor in your own language, and the counselor explains the procedure and what to prepare. It does not file a complaint for you, but it tells you where and how to file it. Beware of anyone who offers to file for you for a fee — the official channels are free.
1577-1366 — Danuri Helpline (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family)
The only line on this list that answers 24 hours, 365 days. Thirteen languages including Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Nepali, Thai, Mongolian, Russian, Uzbek, Khmer, Lao, Japanese and English.
It was built for multicultural families and migrant women, and that is still its core: domestic violence, family conflict, emergency shelter. But it also offers three-way interpretation and daily-life information to anyone who calls, which makes it the number to remember when something goes wrong at 2 a.m. and the other lines are closed.
1330 and BBB 1588-5644 — everyday interpretation
1330 is the Korea Travel Helpline run by the Korea Tourism Organization: 24 hours, every day, in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, with some other languages (Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, Indonesian) during the day. Despite the name, residents use it constantly for three-way calls with taxis, restaurants, shops and clinics. From abroad dial +82-2-1330.
BBB Korea 1588-5644 connects you to a volunteer interpreter in 19 languages, 24 hours, free apart from the call itself; there is also a “bbb Interpretation” app. Volunteers are ordinary bilingual people, not medical or legal interpreters, so keep requests short and concrete: a date, a time, an address, a symptom.
In Seoul, the Dasan Call Center 120 (dial 02-120 from outside the city) handles city services on weekdays 09:00–18:00; press 9 for English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Mongolian.
Emergencies: call 119 or 112 yourself
Fire, ambulance and rescue are 119; police are 112. Both can bring an interpreter into the call — say your location first, then your language, slowly. Do not route an emergency through a friend, a hotline or an AI assistant. The number 1339 that older articles mention is no longer the emergency medical center; since 2013 it belongs to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
How to make a three-way call work
Write down, before you dial, the name and number of the office or shop, what you want to ask in one or two sentences, and the facts they are likely to need: your name as on your ARC, date of birth, address, the date and time you prefer. Call the hotline, state your language, and say “I need to call ___, please interpret.” The interpreter either dials the other side while you hold or stays on while you are connected.
Receptionists will not always wait for an interpreter during a busy hour. If you are cut off, call back at a quieter time — mid-morning or mid-afternoon — rather than at opening or just before closing. Never read out a passport number, card number or password to anyone on these calls; the office can confirm identity when you arrive.
When the call itself is the problem
For private everyday calls — a clinic booking, a landlord, a repair shop, a courier, a missed call from an unknown Korean number — there is a different route: write what you need in your own language and let an AI assistant make the call in Korean. The 받아요 personal assistant calls Korean numbers between 8:00 and 21:00 Korea time, says at the start that it is an AI calling on your behalf, repeats dates, times and prices back to confirm them, and sends you the result in English, Nepali, Vietnamese, Chinese or Korean, with the full conversation.
It does not replace the lines above for anything official. It will not make emergency calls, deal with banks or identity checks, or file a complaint or application for you; for those, 1345, 1577-0071 and 1577-1366 remain the right doors. The trial is three connected calls, free, with no card registration.
Frequently asked
Which number should I call if I don't know which office handles my problem?
1345. It is the general information center for foreigners and will tell you which office is responsible and, for public bodies, interpret the call with you. For anything about your job or wages, 1577-0071 is faster.
Is any of this free?
All the lines on this page are free apart from the normal cost of the phone call itself. If someone asks for money to “interpret” or “file for you,” they are not the official service.
Can an interpreter line call a private clinic or my landlord for me?
1330 and BBB 1588-5644 will interpret ordinary calls like that. 1345 and 1577-0071 are for public bodies and work matters and will usually redirect you. For routine private calls you can also have an AI assistant call in Korean and send you the result in your language.
For everyday calls that no hotline covers — a clinic, a landlord, a courier — write what you need in your own language and let the AI assistant call in Korean. Three connected calls are free, no card needed.