The initiative is set to make emergency communications more inclusive, ensuring that foreigners residing in or visiting South Korea can understand and respond appropriately to emergency situations. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – In a move aimed at enhancing the accessibility of critical safety information for non-Korean speakers, South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety has announced plans to incorporate English translations of key details in emergency disaster alerts.
These alerts, which are issued during situations such as air raids, earthquakes, and heavy rainfall, will now feature English translations of essential information such as the type of disaster and its magnitude alongside the Korean text.
The initiative is set to make emergency communications more inclusive, ensuring that foreigners residing in or visiting South Korea can understand and respond appropriately to emergency situations.
For instance, alerts related to earthquakes will include the term ‘Earthquake’ in English, terrorist threats will be marked as ‘Terror threat warning’, and heavy rainfall alerts will be indicated by ‘Heavy rain’.
The Ministry has previously catered to the needs of non-Korean speakers through the ‘Emergency Ready App’, a safety application designed for foreigners, offering disaster alerts in English and Chinese along with voiceover services.
With the introduction of bilingual text alerts, the Ministry anticipates a significant improvement in the accessibility and comprehension of these critical messages among foreign nationals.
Minister Lee Sang-min emphasized the importance of this measure, stating, “The inclusion of English translations in disaster alerts is aimed at facilitating the awareness and self-evacuation of foreigners in emergency situations.”
He further committed to continuous improvements in the delivery of disaster safety information, in collaboration with relevant agencies, to ensure the safety and well-being of foreigners visiting or residing in South Korea.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
