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  • Vaccination Certificate in Korea: School Entry and English

    Vaccination Certificate in Korea: School Entry and English

    Many parents print a vaccination certificate (예방접종증명서) before their child starts school in Korea. For elementary and middle school entry, that paper is often not needed. The school checks the national vaccination record itself. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) states that no certificate has to be handed in when the doses show up there.

    The certificate matters in other cases: when a record is missing, when doses were given abroad, or when you need proof outside Korea. This guide covers what the certificate shows, who checks the record, and which vaccines the school check covers. It then shows how to get the paper in Korean or English. It also covers where foreign residents get stuck online.

    What this guide covers
    01 What the certificate shows
    02 Who checks your child’s vaccination record
    03 Which vaccines the school check covers
    04 How to get it, step by step
    05 Why the online route may fail for foreign residents
    06 What to do about vaccinations given abroad
    07 What to say at the counter
    08 Frequently asked questions

    What the certificate shows

    The certificate is a legal form: Form 16 of the Enforcement Rule of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. The form itself is printed in Korean and English, under the English title Certificate of Immunization.

    The boxes on the certificate
    Enforcement Rule of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, Form 16
    Korean box English on the form
    성명 Name
    생년월일 Date of Birth (Month/Day/Year)
    성별 Sex
    접종명 Vaccine
    접종차수 Vaccination Series
    접종일 Date Given (Month/Day/Year)
    접종기관 Provider/Clinic
    직인 Seal of the issuer: KDCA, a city, county or district head, or the head of a medical institution

    The certificate lists only doses entered into the national vaccination system. If a dose you know your child received is missing, KDCA’s guide says to ask the clinic that gave it to register it.

    Who checks your child’s vaccination record

    Rules verified October 2026 · School Health Act Article 10 · Infant Care Act Article 31-3

    Korean law puts the check on the institution, not on the parent.

    Who checks the record, and when
    School Health Act Article 10 · Infant Care Act Article 31-3 · Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act Article 31
    Where Who checks When
    Elementary and middle school The principal Within 90 days of entry. The result goes into the education information system
    Daycare center (어린이집) The director Every year, and within 30 days of a child’s first day of care
    Kindergarten (유치원) The director, when the local government requests it —

    If a dose is missing, the school must guide you to complete it and can ask the local health center for help. A daycare director may also guide you to the missing doses.

    Which vaccines the school check covers

    KDCA and the Ministry of Education run a joint check for children entering elementary and middle school. They link student records with vaccination records and check the doses below.

    Doses on the school entry check
    KDCA, school entry vaccination check program (reviewed January 2026)
    School Doses checked
    Elementary school DTaP dose 5 · polio dose 4 · MMR dose 2 · Japanese encephalitis (inactivated dose 4, or live attenuated dose 2)
    Middle school Tdap dose 6 · Japanese encephalitis (inactivated dose 5, or live attenuated dose 2) · HPV dose 1 (girls only)

    Two exceptions are set out in the same guide. A child who cannot take a pertussis vaccine may receive Td instead, after talking to a doctor. A child with a medical reason not to be vaccinated needs that reason registered by the clinic. If the clinic cannot, get a document that states the reason. Submit it through the school, or take it to a health center.

    How to get it, step by step

    Fee verified October 2026 · Gov24 service page for 예방접종증명

    Step 1 — Check the record first

    Log in to the Vaccination Helper site (예방접종도우미, nip.kdca.go.kr). Register your child under 아이정보 등록, then open 아이 예방접종내역 조회. If the school entry doses are all there, the school can see them too.

    Step 2 — Choose Korean or English

    Open 전자민원서비스 and choose 국문 (Korean) or 영문 (English). For the English version, link your passport details or type your English name and address. KDCA asks for the address as a Korean road-name address.

    Step 3 — Sign with a digital certificate

    Online issue needs a digital certificate (인증서) in the applicant’s name. A parent issues a child’s certificate from the parent’s account. Without an account, you can issue only your own certificate.

    Step 4 — Try Gov24 if the site fails

    KDCA points to Gov24 (정부24) as the other online route. Search for 예방접종증명 and choose the relationship to the child on the form.

    Step 5 — Or go in person

    Visit a public health center or a contracted clinic (위탁의료기관) and show an ID such as your Alien Registration Card. Gov24 lists no fee, and processing as immediate, within three working hours.

    Why the online route may fail for foreign residents

    KDCA’s own FAQ describes the problems that hit foreign residents hardest.

    Four points where online issue stops
    1. A digital certificate is required. KDCA states that online issue does not work without one.
    2. The name on your account must match the certificate holder exactly. The site’s example: Hong Gil Dong and HongGilDong count as different people.
    3. Accounts made with an English name fail more often. The fix is a change to the registry record, and KDCA directs you to its Q&A board for it.
    4. On the English certificate, a clinic name may print in Korean if the clinic’s English name has not been updated.

    The first two points are the same wall foreign residents hit on other Korean public portals: the login depends on a Korean digital identity. The in-person route needs only an ID.

    Related guide
    Health Certificate in Korea: Who Needs One and How to Get It
    The same login wall appears on the public health portal. This guide covers the routes that avoid it.

    If you have no digital certificate, plan for a health center visit from the start.

    What to do about vaccinations given abroad

    The Korean certificate lists only doses in the Korean system. Doses given in another country are not there until a health center registers them. KDCA sets out the steps in its school entry guide.

    Registering doses given abroad
    ✓ Get a record from the clinic abroad. An English vaccination certificate, or a document with the clinic’s seal or the doctor’s official signature.
    ✓ Send it to your nearest public health center. Fax or email is accepted. Ask for it to be registered (전산등록).
    ✓ Be ready for a translation. If a document is unclear or needs translating, the officer may ask for notarization or a notarized translation.

    Start this before school entry. Once registered, the doses sit in the same record the school checks.

    What to say at the counter

    A health center desk runs in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    예방접종증명서 발급받으러 왔습니다.
    Ye-bang-jeop-jong-jeung-myeong-seo bal-geup-ba-deu-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to get a vaccination certificate.”
    Say this first at the desk.
    영문으로 발급해 주세요.
    Yeong-mu-neu-ro bal-geu-pae ju-se-yo.
    “Please issue it in English.”
    Use this if you need the paper outside Korea.
    아이 예방접종 기록을 확인하고 싶어요.
    A-i ye-bang-jeop-jong gi-ro-geul hwa-gin-ha-go si-peo-yo.
    “I would like to check my child’s vaccination record.”
    Use this before school entry.
    외국에서 접종한 기록을 전산등록하고 싶어요.
    Oe-gu-ge-seo jeop-jong-han gi-ro-geul jeon-san-deung-no-ka-go si-peo-yo.
    “I would like to register vaccinations given abroad.”
    Bring the record from the clinic abroad.
    인증서가 없어서 방문했습니다.
    In-jeung-seo-ga eop-seo-seo bang-mun-haet-seum-ni-da.
    “I came in person because I do not have a digital certificate.”
    Use this if the online route failed.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is a vaccination certificate?
    In Korea it is the 예방접종증명서, an official record of the doses entered into the national vaccination system. It lists each vaccine, the dose number, the date and the provider. The legal form is printed in Korean and English.
    Are vaccines mandatory in South Korea?
    The law calls a set of them essential vaccinations (필수예방접종) and requires local governments to offer them through health centers. Schools and daycare centers must check each child’s record and guide families to complete missing doses.
    How do I get an international certificate of vaccination?
    That is a different paper: the international certificate of vaccination (국제공인예방접종증명서) under Article 28-2 of the Quarantine Act. National quarantine stations issue it for vaccinations against quarantine diseases, such as yellow fever. A reissue on Gov24 costs 1,000 KRW per copy.
    Does the certificate cost money?
    Gov24 lists no fee for the vaccination certificate.
    Can someone else get it for me?
    In person, Gov24 accepts the person or a proxy. Online, no proxy is allowed. Parents issue a child’s certificate from their own account after registering the child.
    Daily life documents
    Health Certificate in Korea: Who Needs One and How to Get It
    Three tests, a one-year term, and a 30-day renewal window for anyone working with food.
    E-2 Medical Check in Korea: Who Needs It and What It Covers
    Who must submit it, who is exempt, and what each box on the official form checks.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Rules change, so open the page before you act on it.

    · Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act (감염병의 예방 및 관리에 관한 법률) · Article 27, vaccination certificate · Article 31, checking vaccination records
    · Enforcement Rule of the same Act (같은 법 시행규칙) · Article 22 and Form 16, the certificate form
    · School Health Act (학교보건법) · Article 10, school entry check
    · Infant Care Act (영유아보육법) · Article 31-3, daycare check
    · KDCA Vaccination Helper (예방접종도우미) · certificate service · school entry check program · certificate FAQ
    Information verified as of October 2026. Online services and school check rules change. Confirm the details with your local health center or the KDCA call center at 1339 before you go.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Living in Ansan: A Guide for Foreign Residents

    Living in Ansan: A Guide for Foreign Residents

    Ansan holds more foreign residents than any other city or district in Korea. In Danwon-gu, the western half of the city, they are 21.63% of everyone living there. That concentration built something unusual: a set of public services aimed at foreign residents that most Korean cities do not have.

    Almost all of it sits in one building. A counselling line in fourteen languages, a free clinic, an immigration counter and a media studio share an address five hundred meters from Ansan Station. What does not fit there is a ten-minute train ride away.

    This page sorts the five guides by what you came to do, then shows the two things no single guide can: what shares a building, and what days each place is open.

    What this guide covers
    01 Start here: which guide for which errand
    02 Why Ansan has what other cities do not
    03 One building, four services
    04 Which days each place is open
    05 Two stations, and which one you need
    06 What sits outside these guides
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Start here: which guide for which errand

    Services verified September 2026 · Ansan City · Korea Immigration Service · Ansan Danwon Public Health Center

    Find the row that matches what you need, then open the guide behind it.

    Five guides, five errands
    Each one covers a single service in full
    What you need Where to read
    To learn Korean, or to take the KIIP stages Korean classes in Ansan: 14 KIIP centers
    To explain a problem in your own language The helpline on 1644-7111
    To see a doctor without paying The free clinic at Wongok
    To register, extend your stay, or ask about a visa Three immigration addresses
    To use the media studio, a meeting room, or the food street The Multicultural Village Special Zone

    Four of those five are reachable from Ansan Station. The immigration guide is the one that splits, because part of that service sits at the other end of the city.

    Why Ansan has what other cities do not

    The Ministry of the Interior and Safety counts foreign residents by city and district each year. Ansan is first among all of them.

    · 109,872 foreign residents in Ansan, or 15.7% of the city. First place nationally, ahead of the second city by about thirty thousand people.
    · 21.63% in Danwon-gu, the district that holds Wongok-dong and most of the services in these guides.
    · Inside the special zone itself, 89.2% of residents are registered foreign residents or overseas Koreans, as of end June 2024.

    Those numbers explain the rest. A city where one district in five people is a foreign resident builds a counselling line in fourteen languages, opens a clinic that treats foreign workers free, and moves its counters to Sunday because that is when people can come.

    The same concentration is why the immigration office here covers five cities rather than one, and why a second immigration counter exists beside Ansan Station instead of only at the main office. Scale changed what the city and the ministry each decided to build.

    One building, four services

    This is the part no single guide shows. Bubu-ro 43 in Danwon-gu holds four separate services run by three different bodies, stacked on four floors.

    Bubu-ro 43, floor by floor
    안산시외국인주민지원본부 · 500m from Ansan Station
    Floor Service Run by
    1F Multilingual counselling, 1644-7111 Ansan City
    1F Immigration Plus Center — registration, extension, certificates Ministry of Justice
    2F Free meeting rooms Ansan City
    3F Free clinic — Korean medicine, dental, screening Danwon Public Health Center

    The first floor is the one to know. A person who needs to extend a stay and cannot explain the paperwork in Korean can do both things without leaving the ground floor. That combination does not exist in most Korean cities.

    Which days each place is open

    Here is the trap. These services share a building but not a schedule, and the differences are not small.

    Opening patterns, side by side
    Three different patterns in one building
    Service Open Closed
    Helpline 1644-7111 Mon–Thu 09:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–19:00 Fri, Sat
    Media center Mon–Thu and Sun, 09:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:30 Fri, Sat, holidays
    Meeting rooms Daily 10:00–17:00 —
    Free clinic Weekdays only, 09:00–18:00, lunch 12:00–13:00 Sat, Sun

    Read the last two rows together. The clinic is the one service in this building that keeps an ordinary Korean schedule — open Friday, closed Sunday. Everything else is the reverse. A Sunday trip reaches the helpline and the studio but not a doctor.

    The immigration counter on the same floor is run by the justice ministry rather than the city, and its counter hours are not published on the office pages. Confirm that one separately before you go.

    Two stations, and which one you need

    Ansan Station and Gojan Station are both on Line 4 and the Suin-Bundang Line, about ten minutes apart. Nearly everything in these guides is at one or the other.

    · Ansan Station (안산역). The support headquarters, the special zone and the food street. Exit 1 for the building, across the road for the food street.
    · Gojan Station (고잔역). The immigration office and its civil service center, for visas, nationality and anything the Plus Center cannot take. Exit 2, then 500 meters.
    · Everywhere else. The 14 KIIP centers are spread across the city, so check the list rather than assuming a station.

    If the errand is a visa or a nationality question, it is Gojan. Almost anything else starts at Ansan Station.

    Korean classes are the exception to both. The city has fourteen KIIP operating institutions, scattered rather than clustered, and the right one depends on which stage you are entering and which schedule you can keep. That guide lists all fourteen with their addresses.

    What sits outside these guides

    Everything above is run by Ansan City or by the immigration office that covers it. National services are a separate layer, and they reach further than any city can.

    · 1345 for visas and residence, on weekdays in twenty languages.
    · 1577-1366 at any hour, including the nights and weekends when the Ansan line is closed.
    · 1350 for unpaid wages and other employment matters, which the Ansan helpline also takes.

    Those and the free legal routes are covered in the national guide to getting help in Korea, which sorts them the same way this page sorts the Ansan services.

    Frequently asked questions

    Do I have to live in Ansan to use these services?
    It differs by service, and each guide covers its own rule. The immigration office and both Plus Centers serve five cities: Ansan, Siheung, Anyang, Gunpo and Gwangmyeong. The media center lists Ansan residents. The city pages do not publish an eligibility rule for the helpline, so ask when you call.
    Which day should I plan a visit for?
    Sunday for the helpline, the media center and most Korean classes. A weekday for the clinic, which is closed at the weekend. Never Friday if the city services are what you need, because that is when most of them close.
    Can I do everything in one trip?
    Four of the five services share one building, so a single visit can cover counselling, an immigration counter and a meeting room. The clinic on the third floor needs a weekday, and a visa question needs Gojan Station, so those two rarely fit into the same trip as the rest.
    Is anything in Ansan available in English?
    The helpline carries fourteen languages including English, and the immigration line on 1345 carries twenty. Written information is mostly Korean, which is why these guides exist. Each one keeps the Korean terms alongside the English so you can show a screen at a counter.
    I live in Siheung. Does any of this apply to me?
    The immigration guide does, and directly: Siheung is inside the same district, and Siheung has its own Plus Center covering the same five cities. The city services in these guides are run by Ansan City, so check with your own city for the equivalent.
    Ansan guides
    Korean Classes in Ansan: 14 KIIP Centers, Cost, and Levels
    Government Korean classes at 14 centers across the city, with addresses, cost, and how the stages work.
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    Fourteen languages on one city number, and which national line to use outside its listed hours.
    Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing
    Korean medicine every weekday, dental twice a month, and no fee for foreign workers.
    Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does
    Residence work finishes near Ansan Station; visas and nationality need the Gojan office. Five cities share the same district.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below, and each linked guide carries its own sources in full.

    · Ministry of the Interior and Safety · annual statistics on foreign residents by local government
    · Korea Immigration Service · Ansan office, departments and duties
    · Ansan Danwon Public Health Center · Wongok branch, services and fees
    Information verified as of September 2026. Opening patterns differ by service and change without notice, so confirm before you travel. The multilingual helpline on 1644-7111 can check for you in fourteen languages.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Siheung Immigration Office: What the Plus Center Handles

    Siheung Immigration Office: What the Plus Center Handles

    Where you go for an immigration errand in Siheung depends on what the errand is. Registration, extensions and most residence work finish at the Siheung Plus Center in Jeongwang-dong. Visas, nationality and immigration offences still take you to the Ansan Immigration Office near Gojan Station.

    That split comes from the Ministry of Justice’s own division of duties for the Ansan office, which runs both counters. This guide lists what the Siheung counter does, what it sends to Ansan, and when each part of its building is open.

    What this guide covers
    01 What the Siheung Plus Center handles
    02 What still needs the Ansan office
    03 Who can use the Siheung counter
    04 When each part of the building is open
    05 How to get there
    06 What to say at the counter
    07 Frequently asked questions

    What the Siheung Plus Center handles

    Duties verified September 2026 · Ansan Immigration Office, Korea Immigration Service

    The Siheung Multicultural Migrant Plus Center (시흥 다문화이주민플러스센터) is a counter of the Ansan Immigration Office. The office publishes the same list of duties for it as for its Plus Center in Ansan.

    · Alien registration (외국인등록) and overseas Korean residence reports (거소신고)
    · Granting or changing a status of stay, and extension of stay (체류기간 연장)
    · Permission for activities outside your status, and adding or changing a workplace
    · Employment change reports for foreign workers (고용변동신고)
    · Issuing certificates

    The counter opened in April 2019. Siheung City set it up with the interior, justice and labor ministries, inside the city’s welfare center for foreign residents. It is on the second floor of the Siheung Foreigners’ Welfare Center (시흥시외국인복지센터).

    Immigration offence work is on the list too, with one limit. Reports, industrial accident cases involving foreign nationals, and departure orders are handled at the Ansan office instead.

    What still needs the Ansan office

    Two kinds of work do not move to Siheung at all.

    Visa work and nationality work are Ansan only
    Under the Siheung Plus Center, the Ministry of Justice notes that visa work is handled at the Ansan Immigration Office (안산출입국·외국인사무소). Nationality work, such as naturalization or renouncing nationality, belongs to its Nationality and Visa Section.

    The Ansan office has two buildings next to each other near Gojan Station, and they split the work between them. The guide below sorts them by task.

    Related guide
    Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does
    Which Gojan Station building handles visas and nationality, and what the Ansan Plus Center next to Ansan Station does.

    Check which building you need before you travel. The trip from Jeongwang-dong to Gojan Station is the one worth planning.

    Who can use the Siheung counter

    Jurisdiction verified September 2026 · Hi Korea jurisdiction lookup

    The Siheung counter is not only for Siheung. The Hi Korea jurisdiction lookup lists the same five cities for all three counters of the Ansan office.

    Three counters, one district
    Ansan · Siheung · Anyang · Gunpo · Gwangmyeong
    Counter Address What it handles
    Siheung Plus Center 5 Gongdan 1-daero 259beon-gil, 2F
    시흥시 공단1대로259번길 5    		 Residence work and certificates. No visa work
    Ansan Plus Center 43 Bubu-ro, 1F
    안산시 부부로 43    		 The same duties as the Siheung counter
    Ansan Immigration Office 88 and 96 Gwangdeok 4-ro
    안산시 광덕4로 88 · 96    		 Everything, including visas and nationality

    For a Siheung resident, the nearest counter and a counter with jurisdiction are the same building. Residents of Anyang, Gunpo and Gwangmyeong may use it too. Those three cities joined the Ansan office’s district in March 2022, when it became an office in its own right.

    When each part of the building is open

    Hours verified September 2026 · Siheung Foreigners’ Welfare Center

    The building holds two operations with two different weeks. The welfare center is a city facility, and the Plus Center belongs to the immigration office.

    One building, two weeks
    Siheung Foreigners’ Welfare Center · 5 Gongdan 1-daero 259beon-gil
    Part of the building Days Hours
    Plus Center, 2F
    Immigration counter    		 Monday to Friday 09:00–18:00
    Welfare center
    Counseling in several languages    		 Sunday to Friday
    Closed Saturday    		 09:00–18:00, lunch 12:00–13:00
    Counselor days vary by language
    Sunday Korean classes
    Eight classes, free    		 Sunday 09:30–14:30

    Come on a Sunday and the Korean classes and most counselors are working, but the immigration counter is closed. The Plus Center hours above are the ones the welfare center lists on its own page, so confirm them before you travel.

    How to get there

    The building is in Jeongwang-dong, a short bus ride from Jeongwang Station.

    · Address. 5 Gongdan 1-daero 259beon-gil, Siheung (시흥시 공단1대로259번길 5). The Plus Center is on the second floor.
    · From the station. Jeongwang Station (정왕역), exit 1, then bus 20-1 or bus 30 from the transfer center, about ten minutes.
    · Where to get off. On bus 20-1, get off at Jeongwang 119 Safety Center (정왕119안전센터). On bus 30, get off at Siheung Post Office Central Hospital (시흥우체국 센트럴병원).

    For the building, call the welfare center on 031-434-0411. For immigration questions, the Ansan office’s main number is 031-364-5705. The Immigration Contact Center on 1345 answers Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 22:00, except public holidays.

    What to say at the counter

    These counters run in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    플러스센터는 몇 층인가요?
    Peul-leo-seu-sen-teo-neun myeot-cheung-in-ga-yo?
    “Which floor is the Plus Center on?”
    Ask this at the building entrance. The welfare center is on the other floors.
    여기서 처리할 수 있나요?
    Yeo-gi-seo cheo-ri-hal su in-na-yo?
    “Can this be handled here?”
    Ask this before you take a number, not after.
    외국인등록 하러 왔습니다.
    Oe-gu-gin-deung-nok ha-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to register as a foreign resident.”
    외국인등록 is the term on the application form.
    체류기간 연장 신청하러 왔습니다.
    Che-ryu-gi-gan yeon-jang sin-cheong-ha-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to apply for an extension of stay.”
    체류기간 연장 is the term used in the Immigration Act.
    사증 업무는 어디로 가야 하나요?
    Sa-jeung eom-mu-neun eo-di-ro ga-ya ha-na-yo?
    “Where do I go for visa matters?”
    사증 is the legal word for a visa. Visa work goes to the Ansan office.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I go to the immigration office without an appointment in Korea?
    Hi Korea has required a visit reservation at immigration offices since 1 April 2021, and you cannot book for the same day. A short list of services, such as issuing certificates, is named as walk-in. The booking form asks for the office, date and time, so choose the counter you plan to visit.
    Is there an immigration office in Siheung?
    Not a separate office. Siheung is inside the district of the Ansan Immigration Office, which runs the Siheung Plus Center in Jeongwang-dong as one of its counters. Visa and nationality work still go to Ansan.
    Do I need to register if I stay exactly 90 days?
    Article 31 of the Immigration Act sets the rule. You must register if you stay in Korea for more than 90 days from the day you entered. The registration is due within 90 days of entry.
    Where do I report a change of address in Siheung?
    At the community service center (행정복지센터) for your new address, or at the Civil Affairs and Passport Division of Siheung City Hall. Article 36 of the Immigration Act gives you 15 days from moving in, and also allows the report at the immigration office. Bring your registration card, because the new address is written on it.
    When can I call 1345?
    Hi Korea lists the Immigration Contact Center on 1345 as open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 22:00, except public holidays. Call before you travel if you are not sure which counter handles your errand.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Duties, hours and addresses change, so open the page before you travel.

    Information verified as of September 2026. The Plus Center hours come from the welfare center’s page, so confirm on 031-364-5705 or 1345 before you travel, and book your visit in advance.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Ansan Multicultural Village: What Is There and When It Opens

    Ansan Multicultural Village: What Is There and When It Opens

    Plan a Friday visit to Wongok-dong and you will find the doors locked. The city facilities for foreign residents there run Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and close on Friday and Saturday — the opposite of what a Korean public building usually does.

    That schedule is not an oversight. It is built around factory shifts, and it is the single most useful thing to know about the district before you go. Sunday is a full working day at these counters.

    This guide covers what the special zone is, when each facility opens, and what sits inside the building that anchors it.

    What this guide covers
    01 What the special zone actually is
    02 Why Friday is the wrong day
    03 What is inside the support headquarters
    04 The food street, and a document that comes with it
    05 How to get there
    06 What to say at the counter
    07 Frequently asked questions

    What the special zone actually is

    Zone figures verified September 2026 · Ansan City, Multicultural Village Special Zone status page

    A special zone in Korea is a designated area with its own development plan, not a neighborhood nickname. This one has a name, a date and a land register behind it.

    Ansan Multicultural-Village Special Zone
    안산 다문화마을특구 · the city’s own English name for it
    Item Detail
    Designated 14 May 2009, by what is now the Ministry of SMEs and Startups
    Where Wongok-dong 795 and 914 land parcels in Danwon-gu — part of Wongok-dong, not all of it
    Area 405,918.4 square meters
    Residents 19,965 people, of whom 17,806 are registered foreign residents or overseas Koreans — 89.2%. As of end June 2024

    That last figure is the reason the district feels different from the rest of the city. Read the date on it, though: the city page still carries the June 2024 count, so treat it as the most recent published number rather than as today’s.

    The stated purposes are three: building a shared intercultural community, improving welfare and living conditions for foreign residents, and strengthening the local commercial district.

    Why Friday is the wrong day

    The city facilities in this district keep a schedule shaped by who uses them. People working six-day factory weeks cannot reach a counter on a Tuesday afternoon, so the counters moved.

    Monday to Thursday, and Sunday
    The multilingual counseling center and the media center both run Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and both close on Friday and Saturday. Korean classes and TOPIK preparation in the district mostly run on Sundays too.

    Come on a Sunday and the district is working. Come on a Friday and much of it is shut. That inversion catches out anyone who plans around a normal Korean week, and it is not written in English anywhere official.

    What is inside the support headquarters

    One building at Bubu-ro 43 holds most of what the district offers. It is the Ansan Foreign Resident’s Support Headquarters (안산시외국인주민지원본부), and the floors are stacked with different services.

    Floor by floor
    Bubu-ro 43, Danwon-gu · 부부로 43
    Floor What is there Notes
    B1 Small multicultural library, Korean classrooms —
    1F Counseling center, media center, immigration Plus Center Media center 031-369-1766
    2F Intercultural community center — two meeting rooms, free Daily 10:00–17:00 · 031-481-3745
    3F World culture experience hall, and the free clinic No dedicated parking

    The media center is the one people do not expect. A video studio for one to six people and an editing room with two workstations, open to anyone aged 19 or over living in Ansan, Korean or not. It runs 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:30, on the Monday-to-Thursday-and-Sunday pattern.

    The meeting rooms on the second floor take twelve people each, or about twenty-five with the folding partition opened, and cost nothing. Booking goes through a form sent to the city’s global team.

    Related guide
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    The counseling center on the ground floor of this building, the language menu, and which number to press.

    Calling ahead in your own language is the cheapest way to check whether a service is running on the day you can travel.

    The food street, and a document that comes with it

    Three projects are listed under the zone plan: a permanently car-free street, the multicultural food street, and something less obvious.

    · A car-free street, 365 days a year.
    · The multicultural food street, opposite Ansan Station, with restaurants run by migrants from around a dozen countries.
    · Employment recommendation letters for foreign cooks (외국인 조리사 고용 추천서), issued by the city.

    That third item is an administrative service attached to the zone, and it matters to anyone hoping to cook professionally in one of these restaurants. The city’s multicultural special zone team handles it on 031-481-3905.

    The city also publishes a restaurant directory and an e-book guide to the food street, both on the special zone pages.

    How to get there

    The zone sits directly across from Ansan Station, which makes it one of the easier destinations in this guide.

    · The food street. Ansan Station (안산역), and it begins opposite the station.
    · The support headquarters. Ansan Station exit 1, cross the footbridge, about 500 meters. Next to the Wongok-dong community service center.
    · Parking. The culture experience hall has none of its own.

    Anything you came to do at a counter in this building works best on a Sunday or early in the week. The district is busiest on Sundays, which is also when it is most alive.

    The immigration Plus Center on the ground floor is a separate operation from the city services upstairs, run by the justice ministry rather than by Ansan City, so its counter hours are set independently. Check that one on its own before you rely on the Sunday pattern.

    What to say at the counter

    These counters run in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    오늘 여는 날인가요?
    O-neul yeo-neun na-rin-ga-yo?
    “Is it open today?”
    Worth asking by phone before you travel, given the Friday closure.
    미디어센터 이용하고 싶습니다.
    Mi-di-eo-sen-teo i-yong-ha-go sip-seum-ni-da.
    “I would like to use the media center.”
    The studio and editing room are on the first floor.
    회의실 예약할 수 있나요?
    Hoe-ui-sil ye-ya-kal su in-na-yo?
    “Can I book a meeting room?”
    Second floor. A form goes in before the day.
    신청서 어디서 쓰나요?
    Sin-cheong-seo eo-di-seo sseu-na-yo?
    “Where do I fill in the application form?”
    Most services here start with a paper form.
    주차할 수 있나요?
    Ju-cha-hal su in-na-yo?
    “Is there parking?”
    The culture experience hall has no dedicated parking.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is the whole of Wongok-dong the special zone?
    No. The designation covers Wongok-dong 795 and 914 land parcels, which is part of the neighborhood rather than all of it. The city publishes a zone map on its special zone pages if you need the boundary.
    Can I use the media center if I am not Korean?
    The published condition is being 19 or over and living in Ansan, and the notice names Korean and foreign residents together. It is open on the Monday-to-Thursday-and-Sunday pattern, closed Friday, Saturday and public holidays.
    Do the meeting rooms really cost nothing?
    The city lists them as free, for up to twelve people per room or around twenty-five with the partition open, daily from 10:00 to 17:00. A request form goes to the city global team, so arrange it in advance rather than turning up.
    What is the cook recommendation letter for?
    It is listed as one of the zone’s projects, issued by the city for foreign cooks. The special zone team on 031-481-3905 handles the details, including who qualifies and what the letter is used for.
    Is the population figure current?
    The city page gives end June 2024 as the basis for 19,965 residents and the 89.2% share. That is the most recent figure published on the status page, so quote it with the date attached.
    Ansan guides
    Korean Classes in Ansan: 14 KIIP Centers, Cost, and Levels
    Government Korean classes at 14 centers across the city, with addresses, cost, and how the stages work.
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    Fourteen languages on one city number, and which national line to use outside its listed hours.
    Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing
    Korean medicine every weekday, dental twice a month, and no fee for foreign workers.
    Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does
    Residence work finishes near Ansan Station; visas and nationality need the Gojan office. Five cities share the same district.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Opening patterns and figures change, so open the page before you travel.

    · Ansan City, Foreign Resident’s Support Headquarters · building floor plan and facilities
    · Korea Immigration Service · directions to the Plus Center in this building
    Information verified as of September 2026. The population figure carries an end-June 2024 basis on the city page. Opening patterns differ by facility, so confirm before you travel, or call the multilingual helpline on 1644-7111.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • E-2 Medical Check in Korea: Who Needs It and What It Covers

    E-2 Medical Check in Korea: Who Needs It and What It Covers

    Whether you need a pre-employment medical check (채용신체검사서) depends on who hires you and which visa you hold. A hagwon (학원) that hires you to teach a foreign language must collect one before it hires you. The paper has to be issued within one month of your hiring date and include a drug test. E-2 holders also attach one when they register as a foreign resident. The exception is a teacher selected by the Ministry of Education or a provincial education office for an elementary or secondary school.

    For other employers, no law sets this paper as a general requirement. Two rules do require it: the Hagwon Act and Annex 5-2 of the Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act. This guide follows both rules, explains each box on the official form, and shows the fee cap set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

    What this guide covers
    01 Who has to submit a pre-employment medical check
    02 Which paper each work visa submits at registration
    03 What the check covers
    04 When the paper has to be dated
    05 Where to take it and what it costs
    06 How to get it, step by step
    07 What other employers are required to do
    08 What to say at the counter
    09 Frequently asked questions

    Who has to submit a pre-employment medical check

    Rules verified October 2026 · Hagwon Act Article 13-2 · Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act, Annex 5-2

    The two rules work separately. The Hagwon Act puts the duty on the hagwon: it must receive and check your documents before it hires you. The immigration annex puts the duty on you: you attach the paper to your own application.

    Who submits the paper
    Hagwon Act Article 13-2 · Immigration Act Enforcement Rule, Annex 5-2
    Situation Rule Pre-employment medical check
    Teaching a foreign language at a hagwon (학원) Hagwon Act, Article 13-2 Required. Issued within one month, with cannabis and drug test results
    Foreign resident registration on E-2 (회화지도) Annex 5-2 Required. From a hospital designated by the Minister of Justice, with drug test results
    E-2 teacher selected by the Ministry of Education or an education office for an elementary or secondary school Annex 5-2 Not required at registration
    Changing to E-2, or adding E-2 teaching as an extra activity, for any other institution Annex 5-2 Required
    Foreign resident registration on D-3 (기술연수) Annex 5-2 Required
    Foreign resident registration on E-6 (예술흥행) Annex 5-2 Required only for performers at hotel facilities, entertainment establishments and similar venues
    Any other employer No general rule Not set by law

    The third row decides a lot of cases. It covers teachers selected through the Ministry of Education or an education office to teach at an elementary or secondary school. For them, the E-2 rows of the annex do not list this paper at registration or at any other step.

    Under Article 23 of the Hagwon Act, a hagwon that hires a foreign instructor without this check faces a fine of up to 3 million KRW. The fine falls on the hagwon, not on you.

    Which paper each work visa submits at registration

    The immigration annex does not use one paper for every work visa. It names three different documents, and Hi Korea publishes a form for each of them.

    Health papers at foreign resident registration
    Immigration Act Enforcement Rule, Annex 5-2 · Hi Korea guide on designated hospitals
    Visa Paper Korean name
    D-3 Industrial trainee Pre-employment medical check 채용신체검사서
    E-2 Foreign language instructor Pre-employment medical check with drug test results 채용신체검사서
    E-6 Arts and entertainment (performers at hotel and entertainment venues) Pre-employment medical check 채용신체검사서
    E-8 Seasonal worker Drug test confirmation 마약검사확인서
    E-9 Non-professional employment Drug test confirmation 마약검사확인서
    E-10 Crew employment Health certificate and drug test confirmation 건강진단서 · 마약검사확인서
    H-2 Work and visit Health certificate 건강진단서

    Find the row for your own visa before you book anything. An E-9 worker who follows an E-2 guide ends up asking the hospital for the wrong paper. Hi Korea’s guide also makes a tuberculosis test part of the D-3, E-2, E-6, E-10 and H-2 checks.

    What the check covers

    Hi Korea publishes the form used for E-2. The top line carries the hospital’s Ministry of Justice designation number (채용신체검사의료기관지정 번호). A 3 cm by 4 cm photo box sits beside your name. The examination boxes fall into five groups.

    The boxes on the E-2 form
    Hi Korea, attachment 1 to the designated hospital guide
    Group Korean boxes What they record
    Measurements 신장 · 체중 · 흉위 · 혈압 Height, weight, chest circumference, blood pressure
    Eyes and ears (교정)시력 · 색신(색각) · (교정)청력 · 안질환 · 이비인후질환 Vision and hearing (with correction), color vision, eye disease, ear, nose and throat disease
    Body systems 치아 · 호흡기 · 간 · 신경 · 소화기 · 피부 · 순환기 · 정신 · 비뇨기 질환 Teeth and nine body systems, including mental health
    Lab tests 혈청검사(매독) · 흉부X선 검사(결핵) Blood test for syphilis, chest X-ray for tuberculosis
    Drug test 마약검사: 필로폰 · 코카인 · 아편 · 대마 · 기타 Methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, cannabis, and other

    The result box has three outcomes: pass (합격), fail (불합격) and decision on hold (판정보류). A hold comes with a box for the reason and for whether a closer examination is needed.

    The drug test method is set by Ministry of Justice Notice No. 2017-116. The first test uses a diagnostic reagent approved by the food and drug authority. A positive result goes on to a confirmation test with equipment such as GC-MS. The hagwon rule adds one more condition. The paper must not record a fail for a positive drug test or for a risk to public health.

    When the paper has to be dated

    Rules verified October 2026 · Hagwon Act Enforcement Rule Article 10-2 · Immigration Act Article 31

    The two rules set different deadlines.

    Three dates to check
    ✓ Hagwon hiring. The paper must be issued within one month of the hiring date.
    ✓ Visa still pending abroad. If you are outside Korea while your visa application is in progress, the hagwon checks the paper after you enter Korea. It must do so before you start teaching.
    ✓ Foreign resident registration. If you stay longer than 90 days, register within 90 days of entering Korea. The paper goes in with that application.
    A new hagwon means a new check
    The one-month rule applies each time a hagwon hires you. The immigration annex lists no medical paper for a change of workplace on E-2. The new hagwon still has to check a paper issued within one month of its own hiring date.

    An examination taken months ahead does not help a hagwon hire. The paper has to fall inside the one-month window.

    Where to take it and what it costs

    Fee cap verified October 2026 · Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34

    The immigration annex requires a hospital designated by the Minister of Justice. Hi Korea publishes that list in its notice on designated hospitals. The list dated 30 September 2026 names 1,125 institutions, including 242 in Seoul and 351 in Gyeonggi. Hi Korea adds two instructions: examination items differ by hospital, so call before you visit, and hand in the paper in its sealed envelope.

    The hagwon rule words its requirement in its own way: a medical institution designated by the Minister of Education in consultation with the Minister of Justice.

    The Ministry of Health and Welfare caps what a hospital may charge for this certificate. For most certificates the cap covers the paper only. For a pre-employment medical certificate, it also covers the basic tests, but not the drug test.

    Fee caps for the certificate
    Standard for certificate fees at medical institutions (Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2021-34)
    Item Cap What it covers
    Pre-employment medical certificate for hiring a worker (채용신체검사서) 30,000 KRW Body measurements, general blood test, urine test and chest X-ray
    Drug test and tests for specific conditions Not covered by the cap Excluded from the 30,000 KRW cap
    Copy of a certificate (제증명서 사본) 1,000 KRW Extra copies issued at the same time count as copies

    So the cap is not your total. Ask for the drug test price when you call.

    How to get it, step by step

    Step 1 — Pick a hospital from the designated list

    Open the Hi Korea notice on designated hospitals. The list is sorted by province, then by address, with a phone number for each hospital.

    Step 2 — Call and name your visa

    Items differ by hospital, so confirm that the hospital issues the paper for your visa. Hi Korea uses a different form for E-2, for E-8, E-9 and E-10, and for H-2.

    Step 3 — Take the examination

    The examination covers the five groups on the form, from measurements to the drug test. A positive first drug test goes on to a confirmation test.

    Step 4 — Collect the sealed paper and any copies

    Collect the certificate in its sealed envelope. Ask for every copy you need at the same visit. Each one is capped at 1,000 KRW.

    Step 5 — Hand it in

    Give one to the hagwon inside its one-month window. Attach one to your foreign resident registration at the immigration office, still sealed.

    What other employers are required to do

    Outside hagwons and the visa categories above, no law requires a pre-employment medical check from every new worker. One rule comes close. Article 130 (2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires a pre-placement health examination (배치전건강진단). It applies to workers who will be placed in work with harmful agents listed by ministerial ordinance. The employer arranges it at a designated special health examination institution.

    Food work uses a different paper: the health certificate (보건증) under the Food Sanitation Act.

    Related guide
    Health Certificate in Korea: Who Needs One and How to Get It
    Food service jobs ask for this paper. The law sets three tests, a one-year term, and a 30-day renewal window.

    If an employer asks for a health paper without naming the form, ask which one it wants. The papers on this page and the food health certificate are separate documents.

    What to say at the counter

    A hospital reception desk runs in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    채용신체검사 받으러 왔습니다.
    Chae-yong-sin-che-geom-sa ba-deu-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here for a pre-employment medical check.”
    Say this first at the reception desk.
    회화지도(E-2) 외국인등록에 낼 서류입니다.
    Hoe-hwa-ji-do (E-2) oe-gu-gin-deung-no-ge nael seo-ryu-im-ni-da.
    “It is a paper for my E-2 foreign resident registration.”
    Say this next, so the desk uses the E-2 form.
    마약검사도 포함되나요?
    Ma-yak-geom-sa-do po-ham-doe-na-yo?
    “Is the drug test included?”
    Ask before you pay. The drug test is priced outside the fee cap.
    채용신체검사서는 밀봉해서 받을 수 있나요?
    Chae-yong-sin-che-geom-sa-seo-neun mil-bong-hae-seo ba-deul su in-na-yo?
    “Can I receive the certificate sealed?”
    Ask when you arrange to collect the result.
    사본도 같이 발급해 주시겠어요?
    Sa-bon-do ga-chi bal-geu-pae ju-si-ge-sseo-yo?
    “Could you issue copies at the same time?”
    Use this if you need more than one paper.

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Korea visa health check include?
    For E-2, the form covers body measurements, vision and hearing, nine body systems, a syphilis blood test, a chest X-ray for tuberculosis and a drug test. Other work visas use different papers, listed in the table above.
    Does immigration check for drug tests?
    For some visas, yes. The annex asks for drug test results from E-2 holders and a drug test confirmation from E-8, E-9 and E-10 workers. Hi Korea’s H-2 form also has drug test boxes.
    What is a pre-employment medical screen?
    In Korea it is the 채용신체검사서. The Ministry of Health and Welfare defines it as a certificate that confirms a new worker’s physical ability to carry out the duties of the job.
    Is the tuberculosis certificate for a visa the same paper?
    No. Hi Korea lists a separate tuberculosis certificate (결핵진단서). Hi Korea asks for it from nationals of 35 high-risk countries who change from a short-term to a long-term status inside Korea.
    Do I need a new check if I change hagwons?
    Yes, for the new hagwon. The Hagwon Act applies each time a hagwon hires a foreign instructor. The new hagwon has to check a paper issued within one month of its own hiring date.
    Daily life documents
    Health Certificate in Korea: Who Needs One and How to Get It
    Three tests, a one-year term, and a 30-day renewal window for anyone working with food.
    E-2 Medical Check in Korea: Who Needs It and What It Covers
    Who must submit it, who is exempt, and what each box on the official form checks.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Rules change, so open the page before you act on it.

    · Hagwon Act (학원의 설립ㆍ운영 및 과외교습에 관한 법률) · Article 13-2, hiring foreign instructors · Article 23, fines
    · Enforcement Rule of the Hagwon Act (같은 법 시행규칙) · Article 10-2, document requirements
    · Enforcement Rule of the Immigration Act (출입국관리법 시행규칙) · Article 76 and Annex 5-2, documents by visa
    · Immigration Act (출입국관리법) · Article 31, foreign resident registration
    · Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부) · 의료기관의 제증명수수료 항목 및 금액에 관한 기준, fee caps
    · Occupational Safety and Health Act (산업안전보건법) · Article 130, special and pre-placement health examinations
    Information verified as of October 2026. Designated hospitals and fees change. Confirm details with the hospital and the official source before you go, or call the Immigration Contact Center at 1345.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does

    Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does

    Ansan has three immigration addresses, and the one you need depends on what you came to do. Two of them are a ten-minute walk from Gojan Station. The third is beside Ansan Station, at the other end of the city, and it handles most of what people actually come for.

    Nobody publishes that split in English. The result is a wasted morning: the train to Gojan, the queue, and a counter that could have been reached from a station you already pass. This guide sorts the addresses by task, so the trip matches the errand.

    It also covers the four cities beyond Ansan that this office serves, because a resident of Siheung or Anyang belongs here too.

    What this guide covers
    01 Three addresses, and what each one does
    02 What finishes near Ansan Station
    03 What needs the Gojan Station office
    04 If you live in Siheung, Anyang, Gunpo or Gwangmyeong
    05 How to reach each address
    06 What to say at the counter
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Three addresses, and what each one does

    Addresses and duties verified September 2026 · Ansan Immigration Office, Korea Immigration Service

    The office publishes its own division of work by department. Read it as three doors rather than one building.

    Where each task is handled
    All three serve the same five cities
    Address What it handles Nearest station
    Gwangdeok 4-ro 96, 2F
    광덕4로 96
    Civil Service Center    		 Residence, visas, nationality, certificates Gojan (고잔)
    Gwangdeok 4-ro 88, 5F
    광덕4로 88
    Main building    		 Administration, investigation, immigration offences Gojan (고잔)
    Bubu-ro 43, 1F
    부부로 43
    Multicultural Migrant Plus Center    		 Residence matters and certificates. No visa work Ansan (안산)

    The third row is the one that saves the trip. It sits inside the Ansan Foreign Resident’s Support Headquarters, five hundred meters from Ansan Station, and it shares that building with the free clinic for foreign workers and the city helpline in fourteen languages. One address, three services that would otherwise be three journeys.

    The office itself was upgraded in March 2022, when what had been a branch of the Incheon immigration authority became an office in its own right. Anyang, Gunpo and Gwangmyeong moved into its district at that point, which is why older guides still send residents of those cities to Seoul or Suwon.

    What finishes near Ansan Station

    The Plus Center publishes its own list of duties, and it covers most routine residence work.

    · Alien registration (외국인등록) and overseas Korean residence reports (거소신고)
    · Granting, changing and extending a status of stay
    · Permission for activities outside your status, and adding or changing a workplace
    · Employment change reports for foreign workers
    · Issuing certificates

    It is a joint counter rather than an immigration branch alone. Four bodies put staff in one place: the interior ministry, the justice ministry, the labor ministry and Ansan City. That is why the address belongs to a city building rather than to an immigration office.

    There is one limit inside that list. Immigration offence work — reports, industrial accident cases involving foreign nationals, departure orders — is excluded and handled at the main office instead. Everything else on the list is a counter transaction that finishes on the day if your documents are in order.

    What needs the Gojan Station office

    Two categories do not transfer, and both are the kind of thing people assume they can do anywhere.

    Visa work and nationality work are Gojan only
    The Plus Center’s own notice says visa matters are handled at the immigration office. Nationality work — naturalization, renouncing or choosing nationality — sits with the Nationality and Visa Section there, along with confirmation of visa issuance applications.

    Immigration offences are the other exception. Reports, industrial accident cases involving foreign nationals and departure orders are handled at the main building on Gwangdeok 4-ro 88, not at a Plus Center.

    One more service is worth knowing at the Gojan address. The Social Integration Support Center there runs the marriage migrant orientation program, the Social Integration Program (KIIP) and the early adaptation program on 031-364-5767.

    Related guide
    How to Book an Immigration Appointment in Korea on Hi Korea
    Whether you need a booking, the three ways to verify your identity, and what the reservation system will not do for you.

    Booking before you travel decides whether the trip works at all, whichever of the three addresses you are heading to.

    If you live in Siheung, Anyang, Gunpo or Gwangmyeong

    This office is not only for Ansan. Its district covers five cities, and the Hi Korea jurisdiction lookup lists the same five for all of them.

    The five cities, and your options
    Ansan · Siheung · Anyang · Gunpo · Gwangmyeong
    Where you can go Detail
    Ansan, Gwangdeok 4-ro Everything, including visas and nationality
    Ansan Plus Center, Bubu-ro 43 Residence matters and certificates
    Siheung Plus Center
    시흥시 공단1대로259번길 5, 2F    		 Same duties as the Ansan Plus Center, and the same five cities

    That last row is not obvious from anywhere. A resident of Gwangmyeong or Anyang may find Siheung the easier journey, and the jurisdiction listing puts no restriction on choosing it.

    How to reach each address

    Two stations, two different lines of approach.

    · Gwangdeok 4-ro 88 and 96. Line 4 or the Suin-Bundang Line to Gojan Station (고잔역), exit 2, then 500 meters. The two buildings are next to each other.
    · Bubu-ro 43. Ansan Station (안산역), exit 1, cross the footbridge, about 500 meters. It is next to the Wongok-dong community service center.
    · Siheung. Jeongwang Station (정왕역), exit 1, then bus 20-1 or bus 30 from the transfer center, about ten minutes. On bus 20-1, get off at Jeongwang 119 Safety Center (정왕119안전센터). On bus 30, get off at Siheung Post Office Central Hospital (시흥우체국 센트럴병원).

    For the main number, call 031-364-5705. The Civil Service Center on Gwangdeok 4-ro 96 answers on 031-364-5719, and the Social Integration Support Center on 031-364-5767. The immigration helpline on 1345 can also tell you which counter handles a given task, in twenty languages on weekdays.

    What to say at the counter

    These counters run in Korean. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    여기서 처리할 수 있나요?
    Yeo-gi-seo cheo-ri-hal su in-na-yo?
    “Can this be handled here?”
    Ask this before you take a number, not after.
    외국인등록 하러 왔습니다.
    Oe-gu-gin-deung-nok ha-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to register as a foreign resident.”
    외국인등록 is the term on the application form.
    체류기간 연장 신청하러 왔습니다.
    Che-ryu-gi-gan yeon-jang sin-cheong-ha-reo wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I am here to apply for an extension of stay.”
    체류기간 연장 is the term used in the Immigration Act.
    예약했습니다.
    Ye-ya-kaet-seum-ni-da.
    “I have a reservation.”
    Say this at the entrance if you booked on Hi Korea.
    사증 업무는 어디로 가야 하나요?
    Sa-jeung eom-mu-neun eo-di-ro ga-ya ha-na-yo?
    “Where do I go for visa matters?”
    사증 is the legal word for a visa, not 비자.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I go to the immigration office without an appointment in Korea?
    Visit reservation has applied nationwide since April 2021, and same-day booking is not available. Check the booking rules for the service you need before you travel, because the answer differs by task and by office.
    Ansan Station or Gojan Station?
    Ansan Station for routine residence work: registration, extension, change of status, workplace changes, certificates. Gojan Station if your errand involves a visa, nationality, or an immigration offence. When in doubt, the Gojan office handles everything.
    Why can the Plus Center not do visa work?
    The published division of duties assigns visa matters to the immigration office itself, with the Nationality and Visa Section handling confirmation of visa issuance. The Plus Center notice states this directly rather than leaving it to be discovered at the counter.
    I live in Anyang. Do I have to come to Ansan?
    Anyang is inside this office’s district, so yes for visa and nationality work. For residence matters you have three counters to choose between: Gwangdeok 4-ro, the Ansan Plus Center and the Siheung Plus Center, all listed for the same five cities.
    What are the opening hours?
    The office pages give addresses, phone numbers and duties but not counter hours. Confirm on 031-364-5705, or on 1345, before you plan the trip.
    Ansan guides
    Korean Classes in Ansan: 14 KIIP Centers, Cost, and Levels
    Government Korean classes at 14 centers across the city, with addresses, cost, and how the stages work.
    Ansan Multilingual Helpline: 14 Languages and Sunday Hours
    Fourteen languages on one city number, and which national line to use outside its listed hours.
    Ansan Free Clinic: Hours, Treatments, and Who Pays Nothing
    Korean medicine every weekday, dental twice a month, and no fee for foreign workers.
    Ansan Immigration Office: Three Addresses and What Each One Does
    Residence work finishes near Ansan Station; visas and nationality need the Gojan office. Five cities share the same district.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Departments and addresses change, so open the page before you travel.

    · Korea Immigration Service, Ansan Immigration Office · departments and duties · directions, all four locations
    · Korea Immigration Service · Immigration Contact Center (1345)
    Information verified as of September 2026. Counter hours are not published on the office pages, so confirm on 031-364-5705 or 1345 before you travel, and book your visit in advance.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office

    Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office

    Korea has a public service for almost every problem a foreign resident runs into. The difficulty is not that help is missing. It is that each service was created by a different ministry under a different law, so there is no single number, and the one you need depends on what happened.

    Three phone lines, one legal route and one counter cover most of it. This page sorts them by the situation you are in, then compares their hours and their intended users side by side, because those two things decide more than the subject of your question does.

    What this guide covers
    01 Start here: which service for which situation
    02 When you need someone on the phone
    03 When the problem is a legal one
    04 When you have to go somewhere in person
    05 Which line stays open when
    06 Who each service was written for
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Start here: which service for which situation

    Services verified September 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Ministry of Gender Equality and Family · Korea Legal Aid Corporation

    Find the row that matches what is happening, then read the guide behind it.

    Which one do you need
    All of these are free at the point of use
    If this is happening Call or go to
    A crime, a fire, a medical emergency 112 or 119 first. Then 1577-1366 for an interpreter
    A visa, residence or registration question 1345, weekdays
    You cannot understand an office, a hospital or a bank 1577-1366 for three-way interpretation
    A contract, a dispute, something that may end up in court 132, or a village lawyer through 1345
    Unpaid wages, or a problem at work 1350, the labor ministry
    Classes, childcare, ongoing support near home A family center, in person

    Two of those rows send you somewhere that is not a helpline at all. Wage problems belong to the labor ministry rather than to a lawyer, and anything ongoing is better handled at a counter than on a phone.

    Three other ministry lines come up often enough to be worth memorizing: 126 for tax, 1372 for consumer problems and 1332 for financial disputes. The Legal Aid Corporation names all three when a question falls outside its own remit.

    When you need someone on the phone

    Three national lines, and they do not overlap as much as they look like they do.

    1577-1366, the Danuri Call Center, runs 365 days a year and 24 hours a day in fifteen languages. Its three-way interpretation covers the police, emergency services, hospitals, community service centers, schools and banks. Of the three, it is the only one open at night and at the weekend. The full guide to 1577-1366 covers the five services it lists and who the statute wrote it for.

    1345, the Immigration Contact Center, carries twenty languages on weekdays from 09:00 to 22:00 and drops to Korean, English and Chinese after 18:00. It is the line for visas and residence, and its menu does two things without an operator at all. The guide to 1345 has the whole menu, including the star key that switches the call into your language.

    112 and 119 are the police and the emergency services. They dispatch help; an interpretation line does not. Calling 112 or 119 without Korean explains how to add an interpreter to a call you have already made.

    In an emergency, dial 112 or 119 first
    The interpretation lines add language to a call. They do not send an ambulance or a patrol car. Make the emergency call first, then bring in interpretation.

    When the problem is a legal one

    Three public routes give free legal consultations, and each is built on a different principle: one on where you live, one on who you are, one open to whoever dials it.

    The Village Lawyer scheme assigns a lawyer to a district. The Danuri Call Center runs a Korean Bar Association appointment on Tuesday afternoons with interpretation included. The Korea Legal Aid Corporation answers on 132 on weekdays, with a lunch break in the middle. The guide to free legal advice sets the three side by side and lists what none of them will take.

    These are consultations rather than representation. A consultation tells you what the law says; it does not file anything for you.

    Interpretation works differently on each route. The Tuesday appointment has it built in, the village lawyer route runs it through 1345, and the 132 line does not publish what it offers. That difference is often what decides which route is usable rather than which one fits the subject.

    When you have to go somewhere in person

    Some things do not resolve on a phone. Classes, childcare, counseling that continues over weeks, help with a form in front of you — those belong at a counter.

    Family centers are the national network for that, with 229 of them. Two different statutes sit behind the building, and only one of them names a group, so whether a program is open to you depends on which law it belongs to rather than on the sign outside. The guide to family centers has the comparison and the Korean sentence that settles it at the desk.

    Cities with large foreign populations often run their own centers as well, and those take subjects the national services do not, such as a dispute with an employer. Ansan runs one with fourteen languages and Sunday opening, built around factory shifts rather than office hours.

    Public health centers are the other counter worth knowing. They handle health paperwork that employers ask for, and treatment at some of them is free for foreign workers.

    Which line stays open when

    Read the hours together and the pattern is simple: one line never closes, and everything else keeps office hours.

    Opening hours, side by side
    Emergency numbers are not listed — 112 and 119 never close
    Service Hours Languages
    1577-1366 24 hours, 365 days 15, all of them at any hour
    1345 Weekdays 09:00–22:00 20 by day, 3 after 18:00
    132 Weekdays 09:00–11:50, 13:00–17:50 Ask when you call
    Danuri lawyer Tuesdays 14:00–16:00. Book ahead Interpretation included
    Family centers Each center sets its own Varies by center

    The evening gap is the one to plan around. If your language is not Korean, English or Chinese, a call to 1345 after 18:00 will not reach an operator who speaks it, and 1577-1366 becomes the only line that will.

    One more detail sits under the 24-hour line. The Danuri center runs seven regional offices on the same number, and outside Seoul a call placed after 18:00 routes automatically to the main line rather than to the local office. The number you dial does not change.

    Who each service was written for

    This is the part that is hardest to find in English, and it changes which door is actually open to you. Each service traces back to a statute, and the statutes do not describe the same people.

    What the statutes say
    The wording of the law, not an agency summary
    Service Set up for
    1345 Foreign residents, and by decree foreigners staying in Korea — the widest of the three
    1577-1366 Marriage immigrants and multicultural families
    Village Lawyer Residents of a district that has a lawyer assigned
    Family center programs Depends on the program. One statute names multicultural families; the other names no group at all

    None of these services publishes a rule saying who may not call, so this table describes what each law was written to do rather than who will be turned away. When your situation sits near an edge, the honest move is to ask rather than to assume in either direction.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is 1345 in Korea?
    The Immigration Contact Center, run by the Ministry of Justice. Visas, residence and registration questions, plus three-way interpretation with government bodies. Twenty languages on weekdays 09:00 to 22:00, three of them after 18:00. Dial +82-2-1345 from outside Korea.
    Which number works at the weekend?
    1577-1366, which runs 365 days a year including public holidays, in fifteen languages. 1345 and 132 are closed on Saturday and Sunday. For an emergency, 112 and 119 never close.
    Do any of these cost money?
    The services are public and free. You pay whatever your own phone plan charges for a call, except on 132, where the corporation covers the call charge. Individual family center programs may charge a fee, set by the center.
    My problem is unpaid wages. Where does that go?
    The Ministry of Employment and Labor on 1350, which the Legal Aid Corporation itself names for employment matters. City helplines in areas with many foreign workers often take wage cases directly as well.
    What if my language is not on any of these lists?
    1345 carries twenty languages and 1577-1366 carries fifteen, and the two lists are not identical, so check both. A family center may also have staff or volunteers in languages the national lines do not cover.
    Getting help in Korea
    Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office
    The whole cluster in one page — which service fits which situation, when each one is open, and who each law was written for.
    Free Phone Interpretation in Korea: The Danuri Call Center
    Fifteen languages around the clock, and a three-way call that puts an interpreter on the line with the police, a hospital or a bank.
    Calling 112 or 119 in Korea When You Do Not Speak Korean
    Which number covers crime, fire and everything slower, and which line adds an interpreter to the call.
    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu
    The immigration helpline in 20 languages, the star key that switches the call, and the two menu options that finish a task without an operator.
    Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For
    The Village Lawyer scheme, the Danuri lawyer appointment, and the legal aid line on 132 — with the interpretation route for each.
    Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer
    229 centers, two statutes behind them, and the eligibility question that decides which programs are open to you.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below, and each linked guide carries its own sources in full.

    · Korea Immigration Service · Immigration Contact Center (1345)
    · Korean Institute for Healthy Family · Danuri Call Center · family center finder
    · Korea Legal Aid Corporation · 132 counseling line
    · Ministry of Justice · Village Lawyer scheme
    Information verified as of September 2026. Operating hours and language lists change, and the 1345 center runs under a contract that ends on 31 December 2026. Confirm with the official source before you rely on a detail. In an emergency, dial 112 or 119 first.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer

    Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer

    The word multicultural sits on a lot of Korean government signage, and it turns people away. A family center (가족센터) is read as a place for marriage immigrants, so a student or a worker walks past it.

    Two different laws are at work behind that one building. One creates a center for families in general and says the state must run them. The other creates a center for multicultural families and says the state may. Many local governments run both under one roof and one name, which is where the confusion starts.

    There are 229 of them across the country. This guide covers what each law puts inside them, how to find the one nearest you, and what the counter can actually do for a person who does not speak Korean.

    What this guide covers
    01 Who these centers are for
    02 What the law puts inside them
    03 How to find the center near you
    04 Korean lessons, and where else to look
    05 Interpretation and translation
    06 What to say at the counter
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Who these centers are for

    Rules verified September 2026 · Framework Act on Healthy Families Article 35 · Multicultural Families Support Act Article 12

    Two statutes, two groups, and one difference in wording that decides a lot.

    Two centers behind one sign
    Both are supervised by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (성평등가족부)
    Healthy Family Support Center Multicultural Family Support Center
    Korean 건강가정지원센터 다문화가족지원센터
    Statute Framework Act on Healthy Families, Article 35 Multicultural Families Support Act, Article 12
    The wording shall establish and operate may establish and operate
    Who the article names No group is named. The article describes family problems and family programs Multicultural families and marriage immigrants

    The last row is the one to notice. Article 35 sets out prevention, counseling and treatment for family problems, programs for keeping a family healthy, and family information — and it attaches no nationality or status to any of it. The other article is written around a defined group.

    So a service offered under the first statute and a service offered under the second can sit in the same building with different doors into them. The counter is where you find out which is which, and the last section of this guide has the words for asking.

    Both statutes also require qualified staff. Article 35 requires a healthy family specialist (건강가정사) with a degree and specified coursework behind it; Article 12 requires personnel with knowledge and experience in the field. Whoever answers at the counter is meant to be trained for the work, which is worth knowing before a difficult conversation.

    What the law puts inside them

    The multicultural side has a list of eight duties written into the statute, and three of them matter more than the rest if you are not a native speaker.

    · Education and counseling programs for multicultural families
    · Korean language education for marriage immigrants and naturalized citizens
    · Information and publicity about support services
    · Connecting families to other organizations that can help
    · Job information and job placement
    · Interpretation and translation support
    · Preventing domestic violence, and connecting victims to support
    · Anything else needed to support multicultural families

    Job placement on that list is easy to miss. A center is not an employment agency, but the statute puts job information and placement among its duties, which makes it a reasonable place to ask.

    The healthy families side is written differently, as a description rather than a list: prevention, counseling and treatment for family problems, programs that keep a family functioning, family culture activities, and family information. Broader wording, and no group attached to it.

    How to find the center near you

    The Danuri portal runs the national directory. It lists 229 centers and lets you narrow by province and then by city or district, or search by what is near you.

    1 Open www.liveinkorea.kr and look for the center finder on the front page.
    2 Choose a province (시/도), then a city or district (시/군/구).
    3 Or use the nearby search, which finds centers around your location.

    If the site is hard to read, the Danuri Call Center on 1577-1366 answers in fifteen languages around the clock and can tell you which center covers your address.

    Related guide
    Free Phone Interpretation in Korea: The Danuri Call Center
    Who the law says 1577-1366 is for, the five services it lists, and the three-way call that puts an interpreter on the line.

    The same organization runs both the call center and this directory, so a phone call and a site search reach the same records.

    Korean lessons, and where else to look

    Korean language education is the second item on the statutory list, so every center that runs multicultural family programs has it somewhere in its schedule. The statute writes the group as marriage immigrants and naturalized citizens.

    That is not the only publicly funded route to Korean lessons. The Social Integration Program (사회통합프로그램, KIIP) is run by the Ministry of Justice at its own network of operating institutions, with its own stages and its own enrollment. Some family centers are themselves KIIP operating institutions, which is why the two can look like one thing from outside.

    Ask which program you are being signed up for
    A center class and a KIIP class are different schemes with different rules. KIIP stages count toward things a family center class does not, so the answer matters before you enroll rather than after.

    Interpretation and translation

    Interpretation and translation support is its own line in the statute, separate from counseling and separate from classes. In practice this is the service that turns a center from a place you visit into a place that helps you deal with everywhere else.

    How it is delivered varies by center, because the statute sets the duty and leaves the method to the operator. Some run it with staff on site, some through the national call center. Ask when you call, and ask in advance if you need someone for an appointment on a fixed date.

    If the center cannot cover your language on the day, the Danuri Call Center runs three-way interpretation in fifteen languages and names community service centers and schools among the places it covers. That is a separate service on a separate number, and it does not need the center’s permission to use.

    What to say at the counter

    A family center counter runs in Korean, and whether an interpreter is on site depends on the center. Show the Korean line on your phone, or read the romanized line aloud.

    어떤 프로그램이 있나요?
    Eo-tteon peu-ro-geu-rae-mi in-na-yo?
    “What programs do you have?”
    Say this first. Each center sets its own schedule.
    한국어교육 신청할 수 있나요?
    Han-gu-geo-gyo-yuk sin-cheong-hal su in-na-yo?
    “Can I apply for Korean language education?”
    한국어교육 is the term the statute uses, so the desk will recognize it.
    통역 지원 받을 수 있나요?
    Tong-yeok ji-won ba-deul su in-na-yo?
    “Can I get interpretation support?”
    Ask early in the conversation, not after you are stuck.
    신청 자격이 어떻게 되나요?
    Sin-cheong ja-gyeo-gi eo-tteo-ke doe-na-yo?
    “What are the eligibility requirements?”
    The question that settles which of the two statutes a program sits under.
    외국인등록증 가져왔습니다.
    Oe-gu-gin-deung-nok-jeung ga-jyeo-wat-seum-ni-da.
    “I have brought my alien registration card.”
    Bring identification to any first visit.

    Frequently asked questions

    Where can foreigners take a Korean language course in Korea?
    Two publicly funded routes exist. Family centers run Korean language education under the Multicultural Families Support Act, written for marriage immigrants and naturalized citizens. The Social Integration Program runs separately under the Ministry of Justice at its own operating institutions. University language institutes and private schools are the paid route.
    Where can I find free Korean classes in Seoul?
    Start with the center finder on the Danuri portal and narrow to your district, then ask that center what it runs and who it is open to. Seoul also has district-level programs that do not appear in a national directory, so the district office is worth a second call.
    I am not married to a Korean. Can I use a family center?
    It depends on the program rather than on the building. Services under the Framework Act on Healthy Families are described without naming a group; services under the Multicultural Families Support Act are written for multicultural families. Ask the counter which statute a program sits under, using the eligibility question above.
    Do all 229 centers offer the same things?
    No. The statute sets duties, and each center builds its own schedule around them within its budget and staffing. That is why the first question at the counter is what programs they have rather than whether they have a particular one.
    Is there a fee?
    Both statutes allow national and local government to fund these centers, in full or in part. Whether an individual program charges anything is set by the center, so ask when you apply.
    Getting help in Korea
    Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office
    The whole cluster in one page — which service fits which situation, when each one is open, and who each law was written for.
    Free Phone Interpretation in Korea: The Danuri Call Center
    Fifteen languages around the clock, and a three-way call that puts an interpreter on the line with the police, a hospital or a bank.
    Calling 112 or 119 in Korea When You Do Not Speak Korean
    Which number covers crime, fire and everything slower, and which line adds an interpreter to the call.
    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu
    The immigration helpline in 20 languages, the star key that switches the call, and the two menu options that finish a task without an operator.
    Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For
    The Village Lawyer scheme, the Danuri lawyer appointment, and the legal aid line on 132 — with the interpretation route for each.
    Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer
    229 centers, two statutes behind them, and the eligibility question that decides which programs are open to you.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Programs and schedules are set locally, so confirm with the center itself.

    · Framework Act on Healthy Families (건강가정기본법) · Article 35, healthy family support centers
    · Multicultural Families Support Act (다문화가족지원법) · Article 12, the eight duties
    · Korean Institute for Healthy Family · Danuri portal, center finder and 1577-1366
    Information verified as of September 2026. Each center sets its own programs, schedule and fees within the duties the statutes give it, so confirm with the center that covers your address, or call 1577-1366.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For

    Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For

    A lawyer in Korea costs what a lawyer costs anywhere, which is why three public services exist to answer a legal question before it becomes a case. All three are free. Which one fits you depends on where you live, who you are, and how complicated the problem is.

    One is tied to your district office. One is set up for marriage immigrants and their families. One is a national corporation with a three-digit number. None of them will take your case to court on the phone, and all three will tell you what the law says about it.

    This guide covers what each route is, who it is written for, and how a person who does not speak Korean reaches it.

    What this guide covers
    01 Three routes, and who each one is for
    02 What the Village Lawyer scheme is
    03 How to reach a village lawyer in your language
    04 The Danuri lawyer consultation
    05 The legal aid line on 132
    06 What these lines will not take
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Three routes, and who each one is for

    Services verified September 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Korean Institute for Healthy Family · Korea Legal Aid Corporation

    The three run on different logic. One is geographic, one is defined by who you are, and one is open by phone to anyone who dials it.

    Three free routes to a lawyer
    All three are public services · none of them charge for the consultation
    Route Who it is for When
    Village Lawyer
    마을변호사    		 Residents of an eup, myeon or dong that has a lawyer assigned Set by the individual lawyer
    Danuri consultation
    1577-1366    		 Marriage immigrants and multicultural families Tuesdays only, 14:00 to 16:00. Book ahead
    Legal Aid Corporation
    132    		 Anyone who dials the number Weekdays 09:00–11:50 and 13:00–17:50

    The middle row is the narrowest and the most generous at the same time. Two hours a week is not much, but the appointment comes with interpretation built in, which neither of the others guarantees.

    What the Village Lawyer scheme is

    The Ministry of Justice describes it as a scheme for places where meeting a lawyer is difficult. A lawyer is assigned to an eup, myeon or dong (읍·면·동), the smallest administrative districts in Korea, and residents of that district can consult them. It is geography that decides access here, not income or status.

    These lawyers are not full-time staff. Remote consultation is the default, and the ministry lists three ways it happens.

    · By phone. Get the lawyer’s contact details from the district office, the local bar association or the ministry, then call them.
    · By fax or email. Fill in the consultation card (마을변호사 상담카드) kept at the district office, send it, and the lawyer reviews it and replies.
    · In person. Sometimes the lawyer visits the district. Whether that happens depends on numbers and on the lawyer’s schedule, so ask the district office.

    Whether your district has one at all is a question with a published answer. The ministry keeps a file of assignments by region in the scheme’s document room, updated from time to time — the current version is dated 12 August 2026.

    How to reach a village lawyer in your language

    The scheme above runs in Korean. There is a separate route for foreign residents, and it goes through the immigration helpline rather than through the district office.

    1 Dial 1345, press the number for your language, then the ＊ key.
    2 Press 4 for the Village Lawyer scheme.
    3 The center provides three-way interpretation for the consultation itself.

    That last step is the reason this route exists. The Ministry of Justice lists interpretation support for the Village Lawyer scheme as one of the three things the 1345 center does, alongside general guidance and interpretation with government offices. The line runs weekdays 09:00 to 22:00, in Korean, English and Chinese only after 18:00.

    Some city helplines carry the same service on their own menus. In Ansan, the multilingual counseling line on 1644-7111 also puts Village Lawyer questions on option 4, which is a shorter route if you live there.

    Related guide
    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu
    The full ARS menu, the star key that switches the call into your language, and the two options that finish a task without an operator.

    The menu is worth learning once, because the same number carries several services that are otherwise hard to reach.

    The Danuri lawyer consultation

    The Danuri Call Center runs legal consultations through the Korean Bar Association (대한변호사협회). It is the narrowest window of the three and the only one where interpretation is part of the design rather than an add-on.

    Two hours a week, by appointment
    Tuesdays, 14:00 to 16:00, once a week. Book in advance on 1577-1366. The language you book in is the language the consultation runs in, because the center’s own counselors interpret.

    The center was set up under the Multicultural Families Support Act to serve marriage immigrants and their families, so this route fits that group and not everyone else. If a Tuesday afternoon does not work, the same number takes questions around the clock for everything that is not the lawyer appointment.

    The legal aid line on 132

    The Korea Legal Aid Corporation (대한법률구조공단) runs a national counseling line. Dial 132 with no area code, or 82-54-132 from outside Korea. The call is charged to the corporation rather than to you.

    132, at a glance
    Korea Legal Aid Corporation · 대한법률구조공단
    Item Detail
    Hours Weekdays 09:00 to 11:50, then 13:00 to 17:50. Closed over lunch
    From abroad 82-54-132
    Scope Simple matters by phone. A complicated case belongs at an office in person
    Busiest Monday and Tuesday mornings, by the corporation’s own note

    The same number also carries recorded legal information through its own menu, which is available whenever the line is open. That covers general questions without waiting for a counselor.

    The corporation adds a caution worth repeating: what you hear on the phone is the counselor’s own view, offered as a reference. For anything that turns on documents or dates, the in-person route exists for a reason.

    What these lines will not take

    The Legal Aid Corporation publishes the limits, and they are worth reading before you dial.

    · Appeals against a decision already made by an administrative body or a court
    · Questions about evading enforcement or tax
    · Requests for an authoritative reading of a statute or of an organization’s internal rules
    · Internal disputes inside an organization

    Some subjects belong to a different body altogether, and the corporation names four of them with their numbers.

    Subject Where Number
    Tax National Tax Service (국세청) 126
    Consumer problems Consumer Counseling Center (소비자상담센터) 1372
    Employment, including unemployment benefit Ministry of Employment and Labor (고용노동부) 1350
    Financial disputes Financial Supervisory Service (금융감독원) 1332

    Unpaid wages sit with the labor ministry on 1350 rather than with a lawyer, which surprises people who assume a wage problem is a legal problem first.

    Frequently asked questions

    How much does a lawyer cost in Korea?
    A private lawyer sets their own fee. The three routes in this guide charge nothing for the consultation: the Village Lawyer scheme, the Danuri lawyer appointment on 1577-1366, and the Legal Aid Corporation on 132. They are consultations rather than representation, so a fee question returns once a case goes further.
    Where can I get a free consultation from a lawyer?
    Start with where you live and who you are. If your district has a village lawyer, that route is the most local. If you are a marriage immigrant, the Tuesday appointment on 1577-1366 comes with interpretation. Otherwise 132 answers on weekdays, and 1345 can interpret for the village lawyer route.
    Does my district have a village lawyer?
    The ministry publishes an assignment list by region in the scheme’s document room, dated 12 August 2026 in its current version. The district office can also tell you, and so can 1345 on menu option 4.
    Can a free consultation take my case to court?
    No. These are consultations. The Legal Aid Corporation runs a separate litigation support scheme with its own eligibility rules, and that is a different application from a phone call.
    My problem is unpaid wages. Which number?
    The Ministry of Employment and Labor on 1350, which the Legal Aid Corporation itself names for employment matters. Some cities also run their own helplines that take wage questions directly.
    Getting help in Korea
    Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office
    The whole cluster in one page — which service fits which situation, when each one is open, and who each law was written for.
    Free Phone Interpretation in Korea: The Danuri Call Center
    Fifteen languages around the clock, and a three-way call that puts an interpreter on the line with the police, a hospital or a bank.
    Calling 112 or 119 in Korea When You Do Not Speak Korean
    Which number covers crime, fire and everything slower, and which line adds an interpreter to the call.
    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu
    The immigration helpline in 20 languages, the star key that switches the call, and the two menu options that finish a task without an operator.
    Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For
    The Village Lawyer scheme, the Danuri lawyer appointment, and the legal aid line on 132 — with the interpretation route for each.
    Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer
    229 centers, two statutes behind them, and the eligibility question that decides which programs are open to you.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Schedules and assignments change, so open the page before you rely on it.

    · Korea Immigration Service · 1345, including Village Lawyer interpretation
    · Korean Institute for Healthy Family · Danuri Call Center, lawyer consultation
    · Korea Legal Aid Corporation · 132 counseling line, hours and limits
    Information verified as of September 2026. This guide describes how to reach a free consultation. It is not legal advice, and no page here can tell you what to do about your own case. Confirm the details with the official source before you call.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.
  • What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu

    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu

    Most guides tell you to dial 1345 and stop there. Then you call, an automated voice answers in Korean, you press the number for your language, and nothing happens.

    The step nobody writes down is this: after the language number, press the star key. The Ministry of Justice page says it plainly — press the number for the language you want, then the ＊ button, and the call continues in that language. Without it you are still inside a Korean menu.

    That menu is worth knowing for its own sake. Two of its options finish a task without an operator at all. This guide covers who the line is for, how to get through it, what each option does, and where its interpretation service stops.

    What this guide covers
    01 Who can call this line
    02 What the center is there to do
    03 How to reach an operator in your language
    04 What each ARS number does
    05 When to call, and which languages stay at night
    06 Three-way interpretation, and where it applies
    07 Frequently asked questions

    Who can call this line

    Rules verified September 2026 · Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea Article 20 · Enforcement Decree Article 16

    The Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터) exists because a statute tells the Minister of Justice he may set one up. Article 20 (2) names two groups, and the Enforcement Decree defines the second one.

    Who the statute names
    Article 20 (2), read with Enforcement Decree Article 16
    Source Who
    Act, Article 20 (2) Foreign residents (재한외국인), and others set by Presidential Decree
    Decree, Article 16 Those others are foreigners staying in the Republic of Korea

    The second row widens the first. The Act defines a foreign resident as a person without Korean nationality who is staying here lawfully with the intention of residing, which is a narrower group than everyone who happens to be in the country. The Decree then adds foreigners staying in Korea, without that condition attached.

    That difference is what separates this line from the Danuri Call Center, which a different statute set up for marriage immigrants and multicultural families. If you are in Korea on a student visa, a work visa or a posting, 1345 is the line written for you.

    What the center is there to do

    The ministry lists three jobs, and only the first is what most people expect from a helpline.

    · Immigration and daily-life guidance for foreigners staying in Korea.
    · Three-way interpretation for central government bodies, local governments, public institutions and non-profit private bodies handling foreigner-related work.
    · Three-way interpretation for the Village Lawyer scheme (마을변호사), the free legal advice program for foreigners.

    The center itself is run under contract. The ministry publishes the arrangement openly: the current contract runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026, and the operator is KTcs. The legal basis for contracting it out was added to the Act in October 2023.

    One more thing sits in the same article, and it is easy to overlook. Article 20 (1) allows the head of a public institution to assign a staff member whose job is to guide foreign residents through civil procedures, and to have that person trained for it. It is permissive rather than mandatory, so whether such a person exists depends on the office. Still, asking at the counter whether someone handles foreigner cases is a reasonable question, and the statute is why.

    How to reach an operator in your language

    Three steps, and the third is the one that gets missed.

    1 Dial 1345. No area code, from a landline or a mobile, anywhere in Korea.
    2 Follow the automated menu and press the number for your language.
    3 Press the ＊ key. The call then continues in that language.

    From outside Korea, dial +82-2-1345. The menu works the same way.

    If you only want a person
    Press 0 for an operator. That skips the self-service options but not the language step, so the star key still matters.

    Either way, press your language number and then the star key, so have both ready before you dial.

    What each ARS number does

    Five options, and two of them finish a task by themselves. Knowing which is which saves the wait for an operator.

    The 1345 menu
    As listed by the Korea Immigration Service
    Press What it gives you
    1 Where immigration offices are, which districts each one covers, and their opening hours
    2 The result of a certificate of visa eligibility application (사증발급인정)
    3 Reporting that a foreign employee has left a job, and fax reporting of a workplace change for working visit (H-2) holders
    4 Questions about the Village Lawyer scheme
    0 An operator

    Option 2 is the quiet one. A visa result check that would otherwise mean a call queue or a trip to an office runs through the menu instead. Option 3 covers a reporting duty that falls on employers as much as on workers.

    When to call, and which languages stay at night

    Weekdays, 09:00 to 22:00. It does not open on Saturday or Sunday. That is a longer day than most public offices, and the reason the line is useful after work — with one condition.

    After 18:00, three languages
    The evening service runs in Korean, English and Chinese only. The other seventeen languages are daytime only, so a call at 20:00 in Vietnamese or Nepali will not reach an operator in that language.

    Twenty languages are listed for daytime service.

    Twenty languages
    Three of them are listed by country name on the ministry page
    Available Languages
    All opening hours Korean, English, Chinese
    Until 18:00 only Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Mongolian, Indonesian, French, Russian, Nepali, Khmer, Burmese, German, Spanish, Filipino, Arabic, and three the page names by country: 방글라데시어 (Bangladesh), 파키스탄어 (Pakistan), 스리랑카어 (Sri Lanka)

    If your language is in the second row, plan the call for the working day. If it is not on the list at all, the Danuri Call Center carries a different set of fifteen around the clock.

    Related guide
    Calling 112 or 119 in Korea When You Do Not Speak Korean
    Which number covers crime, fire and everything slower, and which line adds an interpreter to the call.

    Outside office hours the choice between the two national lines is made for you, so it is worth knowing both before you need either.

    Three-way interpretation, and where it applies

    The interpretation service adds an interpreter to a call between you and an institution. The Enforcement Decree describes it as interpretation and translation support for foreigner-related civil matters at administrative and public bodies, and the ministry names the bodies.

    · Central government bodies · local governments · public institutions · non-profit private bodies
    · The Village Lawyer scheme, listed separately

    That list is narrower than it first looks. A hospital, a bank or a landlord is not on it. The Danuri line names hospitals, banks, schools and community service centers in its own list, so the two services cover different ground rather than duplicating each other.

    The Decree also mentions translation alongside interpretation, which is a different service from putting an interpreter on a call. What that covers in practice is set by the contract rather than by the statute, so ask on the line what is available for a document rather than a conversation.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is 1345 in Korea?
    The Immigration Contact Center, run by the Ministry of Justice under Article 20 of the Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea. It answers immigration and daily-life questions for foreigners staying in Korea, and it provides three-way interpretation with government and public bodies. Twenty languages, weekdays 09:00 to 22:00.
    What are the hours of operation for the 1345 immigration Contact Center in Korea?
    Weekdays 09:00 to 22:00, closed at weekends. After 18:00 the service continues in Korean, English and Chinese only. The ARS menu options are available whenever the line is open.
    I pressed my language number and nothing changed. What now?
    Press the ＊ key after the language number. The ministry page gives that as the step that switches the call into your language. If you are calling after 18:00 and your language is not Korean, English or Chinese, the evening service does not carry it.
    Can I call 1345 from outside Korea?
    Yes. Dial +82-2-1345. That is useful before you arrive, when a visa result or an office location is the thing you need and there is no Korean phone number yet.
    1345 or 1577-1366?
    1345 for visas, residence and registration, and for interpretation with a government office. 1577-1366 outside office hours, at weekends, or for hospitals and banks, which are on its list and not on the 1345 list. The Danuri line was set up for marriage immigrants and multicultural families, so which line fits also depends on who you are.
    Getting help in Korea
    Getting Help in Korea: Which Number, Which Office
    The whole cluster in one page — which service fits which situation, when each one is open, and who each law was written for.
    Free Phone Interpretation in Korea: The Danuri Call Center
    Fifteen languages around the clock, and a three-way call that puts an interpreter on the line with the police, a hospital or a bank.
    Calling 112 or 119 in Korea When You Do Not Speak Korean
    Which number covers crime, fire and everything slower, and which line adds an interpreter to the call.
    What 1345 Is in Korea, and How to Get Through Its Menu
    The immigration helpline in 20 languages, the star key that switches the call, and the two menu options that finish a task without an operator.
    Free Legal Advice in Korea: Three Routes and Who Each Is For
    The Village Lawyer scheme, the Danuri lawyer appointment, and the legal aid line on 132 — with the interpretation route for each.
    Family Centers in Korea: Who Can Use Them and What They Offer
    229 centers, two statutes behind them, and the eligibility question that decides which programs are open to you.

    Official sources

    Every figure here comes from the pages below. Menus and operating hours change, so open the page before you rely on it.

    · Korea Immigration Service, Ministry of Justice · Immigration Contact Center (1345), service page
    · Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea (재한외국인 처우 기본법) · Article 20
    · Enforcement Decree of the same Act (시행령) · Articles 16 and 17
    · Korean Institute for Healthy Family · Danuri Call Center, for the comparison
    Information verified as of September 2026. The center is run under a contract that ends on 31 December 2026, and menus or hours may change after that. Confirm the details with the official source, or ask on 1345.
    This site is not affiliated with the Korean government. Always confirm details with the official source.