HiKorea is staffed by 104 consultants who are capable of providing information on immigration as well as living in South Korea in 20 different languages. (image: Ministry of Justice)
SEOUL, Apr. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Kim, a Korean expat working at a local manufacturing firm in South Korea, was struggling financially after failing to receive 5 million won (US$4,400) from the company, until he learned about HiKorea (☎1345).
HiKorea is a special call center designed to assist foreigners living in South Korea. Kim, too, was able to get paid thanks to the interpretation service provided by HiKorea.
The South Korean Ministry of Justice said that HiKorea, now marking its 11th year in service, will provide third-party interpretation and other new services.
HiKorea is staffed by 104 consultants who are capable of providing information on immigration as well as living in South Korea in 20 different languages. It is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays.
The service assisted foreigners throughout 1.7 million cases last year. Among the calls, 260,000 cases involved consultations in Chinese, followed by Vietnamese (86,000 cases) and English (72,000 cases).
HiKorea provides third-party interpretation services for foreigners contacting public agencies to report a crime, pay bills, and for other purposes.
“We will continue to work with relevant agencies to protect the rights of foreigners living in South Korea,” said the Ministry of Justice.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
