Korean Expat Community for National Disasters

Good time of the day, everybody! Did you know there are foreigner-friendly platforms to get information about natural disasters and safety in Korea? South Korea has a great system for disaster management, and if you’re living here as a foreigner, it is important that you know about at least these two. The first one is Safety Korea. It gives detailed instructions for dealing with disasters and disaster occurrence information. You can check information for safety facilities, including evacuation routes, water supply, temporary housing facilities, and shelters. Out of curiosity, I searched for shelters in my area and found detailed information, including the address and capacity. It is super easy to use. The website provides real-time alerts for disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, fires, and floods. You can also check safety guidelines and evacuation procedures. The platform offers multilingual support, including English. I left the link. The second platform is a mobile app called Emergency Ready App. The app services are provided so that tourists and foreigners staying in Korea can receive emergency disaster text messages, national action instructions, and disaster safety information such as shelters, emergency medical centers, fire stations, and police stations in English, Japanese, and Chinese. Besides, you can call 119 (Emergency) on the app. It is a comprehensive app by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. It is very simple, and everything is there ready to use - nothing complicated. You can download it on both Android and iOS. I included the link as well. One more tip before we wrap up: even without apps, you’ll receive emergency alerts via SMS. So, 1. Stay Alert for SMS: The Korean government sends emergency alerts (via text) in Korean, but apps like Google Translate can help you interpret these messages. 2. Learn Basic Korean Disaster Terms: Familiarity with terms like "대피소" (shelter) or "지진" (earthquake) can be helpful. 3. Stay Connected: Ensure your phone is set up with a Korean SIM card or Wi-Fi access for real-time updates. Thank you for listening to this podcast, I hope it was helpful.