When It Is Hard to Make a Phone Call in Korean: Interpreter Lines and Services That Call for You

When does this apply to you?

• When you need to call a hospital or dentist to make an appointment
• When you need to tell your landlord or a repair person that something is broken
• When you need to check a delivery, an order or a booking by phone
• When you need to ask an office such as 주민센터 (community service center), 출입국·외국인관서 (immigration office) or 고용센터 (Employment Center) about opening hours or documents
• When you need to tell your company that you are sick and cannot come to work
• When you missed a call from an unknown number and want to know what it was about

Official interpreter lines by situation

If the office you need to call only speaks Korean, call an interpreter line first and say: "I need to call ○○. Please interpret for me."

Situation	Phone number	Languages and hours	Details
Visa, stay, 외국인등록증 (foreign resident card), daily life in general, or when you do not know where to ask	1345 외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center)	20 languages (including Nepali) / weekdays 09:00~22:00. After 18:00, only Korean, English and Chinese	Three-way interpretation is available: the counselor joins your call with the office
Company problems such as wages, changing workplace, 근로계약 (employment contract), dormitory	1577-0071 외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center)	18 languages (including Nepali) / every day of the year 09:00~18:00	Specialized in the 고용허가제 (Employment Permit System, E-9). This is counseling, not interpretation, but you can speak Nepali directly
Daily-life problems at night or on weekends, crisis counseling	1577-1366 다누리콜센터 (Danuri Call Center)	13 languages (including Nepali) / every day of the year, 24 hours	Mainly for marriage migrants and multicultural families, but anyone can use the interpretation and crisis counseling. Three-way interpretation is available
Medical emergency, fire, accident	119	24 hours	You can speak in your own language. They will connect a foreign-language interpreter to the call (three-way interpretation)
Crime, assault, danger	112	24 hours	Say your location first

If you need an interpreter inside a hospital, ask the 원무과 (hospital administration desk) of a large hospital: "Do you have support for foreign patients?" This is different at each hospital, so check by phone before you go. For more details, see How to go to a hospital in Korea and get an interpreter.

For what to say first when you call each number about a work problem, see When you do not know where to call.

Korean sentence cards for calling yourself

You can read the sentences below as they are. The pronunciation is written in Roman letters. Before you call, it helps to write the date, address and your name on paper.

1. Booking a hospital or dentist

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
예약하고 싶습니다. (I want to make an appointment.)	yeyakago sipseumnida.
내일 오후에 됩니까? (Is tomorrow afternoon possible?)	naeil ohue doemnikka?
이름은 ○○입니다. 외국인등록번호는 ○○입니다. (My name is ○○. My foreign registration number is ○○.)	ireumeun ○○imnida. oegugin deungnok beonhoneun ○○imnida.

2. Checking an address or location

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
주소를 문자로 보내 주세요. (Please send me the address by text message.)	jusoreul munjaro bonae juseyo.
거기가 어디입니까? 지하철역 이름을 말해 주세요. (Where is it? Please tell me the name of the subway station.)	geogiga eodiimnikka? jihacheollyeok ireumeul malhae juseyo.

3. Asking your landlord for repairs

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
집에 문제가 있습니다. 보일러가 안 됩니다. (There is a problem in my home. The boiler does not work.)	jibe munjega itseumnida. boillega an doemnida.
물이 샙니다. 수리 부탁합니다. (Water is leaking. Please repair it.)	muri saemnida. suri butakamnida.
언제 오실 수 있습니까? (When can you come?)	eonje osil su itseumnikka?

4. Checking a delivery or order

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
택배가 안 왔습니다. 확인 부탁합니다. (My package has not arrived. Please check it.)	taekbaega an watseumnida. hwagin butakamnida.
송장번호는 ○○입니다. (The tracking number is ○○.)	songjangbeonhoneun ○○imnida.
문 앞에 놓아 주세요. (Please leave it in front of the door.)	mun ape noa juseyo.

5. Telling your company you cannot come to work

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
○○입니다. 오늘 아파서 출근을 못 합니다. (This is ○○. I am sick today and cannot come to work.)	○○imnida. oneul apaseo chulgeuneul mot hamnida.
병원에 가겠습니다. 진단서를 가져오겠습니다. (I will go to the hospital. I will bring a 진단서 (medical certificate).)	byeongwone gagetseumnida. jindanseoreul gajyeoogetseumnida.

Sentences for any call

Korean (meaning)	Pronunciation (Roman letters)
한국어가 서툽니다. 천천히 말해 주세요. (My Korean is not good. Please speak slowly.)	hangugeoga seotumnida. cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo.
다시 한번 말해 주세요. (Please say it one more time.)	dasi hanbeon malhae juseyo.
문자로 보내 주세요. (Please send it by text message.)	munjaro bonae juseyo.

An AI assistant that calls for you (받아요, "Badayo")

Please note first. "받아요" was made by the same team that made Mitra Korea. So this page is not an advertisement. It simply lists what the service can do and what it cannot do. In many cases, the official interpreter numbers above are enough, and you do not need this service.

What is it?

• You write in your language "who to call and what to ask". Then the AI calls that place for you in Korean.
• At the start of the call, the AI tells the other person: "I am an AI calling on behalf of ○○." The call is recorded.
• During the call, you can see the conversation on your screen in real time. If needed, you can join the call yourself.
• When the call ends, you get the result in your language (what was agreed, what to bring, what to do next). You can also see the full conversation.
• If the other person calls back, the AI answers and sends you a note in your language.
• Languages: English, Korean, Nepali, Vietnamese, Chinese (checked on 2026-10-09).

What it can do

• Book a hospital or dentist appointment
• Tell your landlord or a repair company that something is broken
• Check a delivery, order or booking
• Ask an office about opening hours and the documents you need
• Find out what a missed call from an unknown number was about

What it cannot do

• Emergencies: it cannot replace 112 or 119. You must call them yourself. 119 will connect you to an interpreter.
• Calls for banking, identity checks, passwords or verification codes
• Advertising calls, sales calls, or calls to collect money (debt collection)
• Filing reports or applications for you. It does not do official work with government offices, such as filing a complaint (진정) with the Ministry of Employment and Labor or immigration applications (it can only ask about hours and documents). Mitra Korea follows the same rule and does not handle official procedures for you. For work problems, the right way is to call 1577-0071 yourself. For visa problems, call 1345 yourself.
• It only calls Korean phone numbers, and only between 08:00~21:00.

Cost and sign-up

• To sign up, you enter your name, Korean mobile phone number and language. You do not register a card.
• Your first 3 connected calls are free. The price after that has not been decided yet. The service says it will not charge money before the price is decided (checked on 2026-10-09). Please check the page again before you use it.
• Address: https://callops.hyeongeonnoil.com/personal

How to make a request to the AI

1. Write the phone number and name of the place to call.
2. Write what to ask in one or two sentences. Example: "Please ask if I can book the dentist tomorrow afternoon, and if I need to bring any documents."
3. Write in advance information the other person may ask for, such as your name, address and foreign registration number. Do not write passwords or bank account PINs.
4. When you get the result message, check the date and place again.

Be careful

• Whether you use an interpreter line or the AI assistant, get the result in a text message or in writing for important appointments (surgery, contracts, money matters).
• If someone on the phone asks you to say your password, verification code or bank account PIN, hang up. Official offices do not ask for these by phone. See Phone and text message scams.
• Counseling at 1345, 1577-0071 and 1577-1366 is free. You only pay the normal call charge. If someone asks for money, it is not an official office.
• Be careful of people (brokers) who say "I will file the report for you" and ask for a fee. You can file a report yourself with the help of an interpreter line.
• When the AI assistant calls, the other person may say "I will not talk with an AI." In that case, use an interpreter line or ask a coworker who speaks Korean for help.
• Use call recordings only for your own records. Do not send them to other people carelessly.

Frequently asked questions

Q. If I call 1345, will they also interpret a hospital booking for me? A. 1345 mainly gives information on visas, stay and daily-life questions to government offices. They also help with daily-life problems, but the counselor decides which calls they will interpret. If they cannot help, try Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 or the AI assistant.

Q. It is 11 p.m. and water is leaking in my home. Who should I call? A. If your home is flooding or there is danger from electricity, call 119. If it is not urgent, contact your landlord in the morning. Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 is open 24 hours, so you can get an interpreter. The AI assistant only calls between 08:00~21:00.

Q. Will people be unhappy if an AI calls them for me? A. At the start, the AI says: "I am an AI calling on behalf of ○○." Most hospitals and shops accept bookings and questions. If the other person refuses, the result will say so.

Q. Can the AI make the call to file a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor for me? A. No. It does not file reports or applications for you. For work problems, call 1577-0071 (Nepali) yourself. The steps are in How to report unpaid wages.

Q. Do I have to pay after the 3 free calls? A. As of 2026-10-09, the official price has not been decided. The service says it will not charge before the price is decided. This may change, so please check the page.

Where to get help

Number / address	Organization	Languages	Hours
1345	외국인종합안내센터 (Immigration Contact Center)	20 languages (Nepali), three-way interpretation	Weekdays 09:00~22:00
1577-0071	외국인력상담센터 (Foreign Workforce Counseling Center)	18 languages (Nepali)	Every day of the year 09:00~18:00
1577-1366	다누리콜센터 (Danuri Call Center)	13 languages (Nepali), three-way interpretation	Every day of the year, 24 hours
119 / 112	Fire and ambulance / Police	Foreign-language interpreter connection	24 hours
callops.hyeongeonnoil.com/personal	받아요 – AI assistant that calls for you (same team as Mitra Korea)	English, Korean, Nepali, Vietnamese, Chinese	Korean numbers only, 08:00~21:00

For other organizations' numbers, see All help contacts in one place.