What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Yongpyong?
Police
112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: en.wikipedia.org, blog.trazy.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- 112 is police-only and 119 is fire/ambulance-only in Korea — unlike the US 911 system, calling the wrong one won't get you connected to the other service automatically, so know the split before you need it.
- Both 112 and 119 have interpreter access for English (and other languages), so it's fine to call directly and just say 'English, please' rather than trying to find a bilingual local first.
- Yongpyong itself doesn't have separate emergency numbers from the rest of Korea — 112/119 apply exactly the same in the resort/Gangwon-do area as in Seoul.
- Downloading the government's Emergency Ready App before you arrive is worth doing, since ski-season weather/road alerts in mountainous Gangwon-do are common and the app gives translated versions of otherwise Korean-only mass alerts.
- If you're on the slopes, the resort's own ski patrol/first-aid stations are typically the fastest first responders for a skiing injury before a 119 ambulance is needed — ask resort staff for the nearest first-aid hut.
- For any life-threatening emergency in Korea, dial 119 (fire/ambulance/paramedics) — operators can connect you to English-language support in major emergencies, though response in rural ski areas may take longer than in Seoul.
- Yongpyong Resort itself is in a remote mountain area (Daegwallyeong-myeon); the nearest hospital ERs are all 30+ minutes away by road, and the region's only true trauma center (Wonju Severance Christian Hospital) is over an hour away — for serious injuries, expect ambulance or possible helicopter transfer rather than a nearby walk-in ER.
- Ski-related injuries are common at Yongpyong; the resort has on-slope first-aid/ski patrol response, but confirm current on-site medical facilities directly with the resort since specifics can change season to season.
Numbers
Police
- Number
- 112
- Details
- 112 is the emergency number for police, with other numbers dedicated for other situations, such as discovery of missing persons.
- English Support
- The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) has established a nationwide interpretation telephone service in "112 Emergency Response Centres" so that foreigners can have the same service from the police as Korean speakers.
Fire & Ambulance
- Number
- 119
- Details
- 119 is a direct-dial emergency telephone number in South Korea for fire brigade and ambulance service operated by the National Emergency Management Agency.
- English Support
- The caller's location is automatically traced once the call is connected, and operators who can speak Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean should be available.
Medical Information / Non-emergency Health Consultation
- Number
- 1339
- Details
- 1339 is a separate telephone number reserved for non-emergency medical information calls.
Tourist Hotline / Interpretation-assisted Emergency Support
- Number
- 1330
- Details
- 1330 also acts as a tourist hotline. You can get information about tourist attractions, transportation, and restaurants.
- Note Extra
- Can also be used to set up a translated conference call if a 119 or 112 operator does not have an available interpreter on the line.
Immigration Contact Center (Multilingual Support for Foreigners)
- Number
- 1345
- Details
- Easily reachable by dialing 1345 from anywhere within Korea or +82-1345 from abroad.
Coast Guard
- Number
- 122
- Details
- Not relevant to Yongpyong given its inland mountain location, listed for completeness of the national number set.
Missing Persons / Stolen Property (Non-emergency Police Inquiries)
- Number
- 182
Official Safety Apps
Emergency Ready App (안전디딤돌)
- Features
- Emergency Ready App provides multilingual support in English, Chinese, and Japanese for 36 services, including disaster alerts, safety guide, and civil defense shelter locations.
- Publisher
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety / National Emergency Management Agency (Korean central government)
- Availability
- Free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, works nationwide including Gangwon-do/Yongpyong.
- Extra Features
- Disaster alerts, safety guide, civil defense shelter locations, fire reports, and information on embassies, fire stations, police stations, and emergency medical centers, etc.
- Known Limitation
- User reviews note translation quality can be inconsistent and location-based filtering (to avoid receiving alerts from the whole country) sometimes needs manual configuration.
National Disaster and Safety Portal (Safe Korea / Eng.safekorea.go.kr)
- Features
- Nationwide official disaster and safety information portal; an alternative mirror is provided if the main site is down.
- Publisher
- Korean central government
- Note
- Primarily a web portal rather than an app; useful as a backup reference alongside the Emergency Ready App.
Hospitals
Pyeongchang Health Medical Center (평창군보건의료원)
- Phone Main
- 033-332-4000
- Phone ER Night Holiday
- 033-330-4812
- Type
- Public county medical center with 24-hour ER
- Hours
- General outpatient reception weekdays 09:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:30; Emergency Room operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year
- Address
- 11 Noseong-ro, Pyeongchang-eup, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea
- Trauma Level
- General/basic emergency room — not a designated regional trauma center. Has CT capability and a small number of ER beds.
- Distance From Yongpyong
- This is the nearest general hospital ER to Yongpyong Resort, but it is roughly a 30–40 minute drive away in Pyeongchang-eup (the resort itself is in the more remote Daegwallyeong-myeon area), so it falls outside typical walkable/city-center range.
- Notes
- For severe trauma this center is a triage/stabilization stop before transfer to a larger hospital.
Gangneung Asan Hospital (강릉아산병원)
- Phone Main
- Not confirmed at the time of research
- Type
- Tertiary general hospital with regional emergency medical center
- Hours
- Emergency room operates 24 hours
- Address
- Gangneung, Gangwon-do, South Korea (exact street address not verified at the time of research)
- Trauma Level
- Upgraded to a tertiary hospital (상급종합병원) status; served as one of two official Olympic hospitals for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games alongside Wonju Severance Christian Hospital.
- Distance From Yongpyong
- Approximately 30–40 minutes by car from Yongpyong via the Yeongdong Expressway/Route 6 — the closest larger hospital with broader specialist coverage than the Pyeongchang county medical center.
- Notes
- Used during the 2018 Olympics as one of the designated hospitals near the Gangneung ice-sports cluster.
Wonju Severance Christian Hospital (원주세브란스기독병원)
- Phone Main
- 033-741-0114
- Phone ER Fax
- 033-741-1650
- Type
- University tertiary hospital — Regional Trauma Center (권역외상센터)
- Hours
- Emergency and trauma center operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Address
- 20 Ilsan-ro, Ilsan-dong, Wonju-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
- Trauma Level
- Officially designated a national Regional Trauma Center (권역외상센터) in 2012, with the trauma center opening in 2015 — the top tier of Korea's trauma-center system, roughly comparable to a Level I trauma center, with 24-hour trauma surgery coverage and a dedicated doctor-helicopter (닥터헬기) service.
- Distance From Yongpyong
- The furthest of the three, roughly 1–1.5 hours by road from Yongpyong, but this is the hospital severely injured patients (including Olympic athletes at the 2018 Games) are actually transferred to, often by ambulance or helicopter, because it is the only true trauma center in the region.
- Notes
- During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, trauma-dedicated staff from this hospital ran the emergency department at the Pyeongchang Mountain Polyclinic, and severely injured patients were transferred here by ground or helicopter.
Country
South Korea
How To Dial
All numbers (112, 119, 1339, 1330, 1345, 182) can be dialed directly from any mobile phone in Korea without an area code, free of charge, from anywhere in the country including Yongpyong.
Universal Note
South Korea does not use a single unified number like 911 — police and fire/medical are split into two separate national numbers, which work identically in Yongpyong (Gangwon-do/Pyeongchang area) as anywhere else in the country since these are nationwide services, not city-specific lines.
Regional Context
Because the government has begun sending English-language alerts for major disasters since a February 2024 policy change, some critical mass alerts (earthquake, severe weather) may arrive in English automatically if your phone's language is set to English, but this is not guaranteed for every alert type in a resort area like Yongpyong.
How To Request English
When you call 112 or 119, say "English, please" or "영어, 부탁합니다" (yeongeo, butakamnida) to request an English-speaking operator.
Healthcare
- Summary
- Yongpyong is located in a mountainous rural area of Pyeongchang with limited on-site medical facilities. Serious medical needs require referral to larger regional hospitals.
- Local Access
- The area operates primarily as a ski resort with basic medical support during winter season. Permanent year-round healthcare infrastructure in Yongpyong itself is minimal.
- Regional Options
- Regional hospitals and clinics are available in nearby Gangneung and Pyeongchang proper. South Korea's broader healthcare system is of high quality, though rural access can require travel.
Pharmacies
- Regional Access
- Pharmacies are widespread throughout Gangwon Province, particularly in nearby towns.
- Local Availability
- Pharmacy availability in Yongpyong resort area itself is limited and seasonal. H&B drugstores and warehouse-style pharmacies are concentrated in urban and suburban areas.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Yongpyong
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.