Foreign-language emergency calls more than double in Korea

Police in Korea are handling a sharp rise in foreign-language emergency calls and face difficulty securing interpreters for police-station questioning and crime scenes. The National Police Agency recorded 21,252 such calls last year, nearly double the 10,348 recorded in 2024, while 21,012 calls had been recorded through August this year. Budget constraints have stalled efforts to recruit more professional interpreters, and police are using limited translation tools while developing a real-time AI interpretation system.

Foreign arrivals rose 21.5 percent year-on-year to 17.11 million in the first nine months of this year, compared with 14.08 million in 2025.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had 629 registered civilian interpreters as of last month; 198 interpreted Chinese, 97 English, 64 Vietnamese and 57 Japanese.

Police stations arrange civilian interpretation case by case, and interpreters typically have other jobs, creating scheduling difficulties.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency developed an app that delivers the Miranda warning in a selected language through audio and text.

Mapo Police Station introduced a standalone device that translates officers’ speech into a selected foreign language and can assist people seeking police services.

Published Oct 25, 2026 2:59 pm KST

Tourism boom strains police interpretation services

Police officers patrol public spaces to monitor neighborhoods and deter public order violations in Jeju City, April 21, 2025. Korea Times photo by Kim Young-heon

As a record number of international tourists visit Korea, police are facing a growing demand for interpretation services, both for foreign-language emergency calls and at crime scenes.

However, budget constraints have hindered efforts to recruit additional professional interpreters for languages other than English and Chinese, leaving officers to struggle with language barriers, particularly at crime scenes where interpreters are often difficult to secure on short notice.

Foreign arrivals to Korea rose 21.5 percent year-on-year to 17.11 million in the first nine months of this year, up from 14.08 million in 2025, further increasing demand for police interpretation services.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Park Ju-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, police received 21,252 emergency calls in foreign languages last year, nearly double the 10,348 recorded in 2024.

The surge has continued this year, with 21,012 foreign-language calls recorded through August, nearly equaling last year's annual total.

Despite repeated requests for additional interpreters, recruitment has remained stalled due to a lack of funding.

Beyond emergency calls, police also face challenges securing interpreters for in-person questioning of foreign nationals at police stations, where they rely on civilian interpreters rather than dedicated staff.

Unlike 112 emergency call centers, which have interpreters on duty, police stations arrange interpretation services on a case-by-case basis, calling in civilian interpreters who typically hold other jobs.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had 629 registered civilian interpreters as of last month. Chinese interpreters accounted for the largest share at 198, followed by 97 for English, 64 for Vietnamese, 57 for Japanese, 39 for Russian, 33 for Mongolian and 18 for Thai.

However, disparities in interpreter availability across languages and scheduling conflicts often make it difficult for police to secure interpreters when needed.

The challenge is even greater at crime scenes, where bringing in an interpreter on short notice can be particularly difficult.

Accurate communication is especially critical when arresting foreign nationals, as police are legally required to inform suspects of their rights, including the reason for their arrest and their right to legal counsel, under the Miranda warning.

To address these challenges, police have begun using smartphone applications and translation devices, though such initiatives remain limited to individual police agencies and stations rather than being implemented nationwide.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency has developed a smartphone application that allows officers to recite the Miranda warning to foreign suspects in their native languages. Officers can select a language, and the application provides the warning through both audio and text.

Meanwhile, Seoul's Mapo Police Station has introduced a standalone translation device that converts officers' spoken words into a selected foreign language. The device can be used to deliver the Miranda warning and assist foreign nationals seeking police services.

Police are also developing an artificial intelligence-powered interpretation system to ease the growing burden of handling foreign-language emergency calls.

The system will automatically detect foreign languages and translate conversations between police officers and callers in real time.

However, until the system is fully developed and deployed, police will have to continue relying on existing interpreters, leaving language barriers a persistent challenge in emergency response operations.

韩国警方正面临外语紧急求助电话激增的困境，难以找到合适的翻译人员用于警局问询和犯罪现场勘查。韩国国家警察厅去年记录了21252起此类求助电话，几乎是2024年预计10348起的两倍；而今年截至8月，此类电话的记录已达21012起。预算限制阻碍了警方招募更多专业翻译人员的努力，目前警方正在使用有限的翻译工具，同时也在开发一套实时人工智能翻译系统。

今年前九个月，外国游客入境人数同比增长 21.5%，达到 1711 万人次，而 2025 年预计为 1408 万人次。

截至上个月，首尔地方警察厅共有 629 名注册的民间翻译；其中 198 人翻译中文，97 人翻译英文，64 人翻译越南语，57 人翻译日语。

警察局根据具体情况安排平民翻译，而翻译人员通常还有其他工作，这造成了时间安排上的困难。

京畿南部地方警察厅开发了一款应用程序，可以通过音频和文本以选定的语言提供米兰达警告。

麻浦派出所引进了一款独立设备，可以将警员的讲话翻译成选定的外语，并能帮助寻求警务服务的民众。

发布于2026年10月25日下午2:59（韩国标准时间）

旅游热潮给警方翻译服务带来压力

2025年4月21日，济州市，警察在公共场所巡逻，监控社区治安，制止扰乱公共秩序的行为。（韩国时报 金英宪 摄）

随着赴韩国际游客数量创历史新高，警方对翻译服务的需求日益增长，无论是外语紧急呼叫还是犯罪现场的翻译，都面临着越来越大的需求。

然而，预算限制阻碍了招募除英语和汉语以外的其他语言的专业口译员的努力，导致警员们不得不克服语言障碍，尤其是在犯罪现场，因为在短时间内很难找到口译员。

今年前九个月，赴韩外国游客人数同比增长 21.5%，达到 1711 万人次，高于 2025 年的 1408 万人次，进一步增加了对警方翻译服务的需求。

根据韩国国家警察厅向执政党共同民主党议员朴柱民提交的数据，去年警方接到了 21252 个外语紧急求助电话，几乎是 2024 年记录的 10348 个的两倍。

今年外语通话量激增的趋势仍在继续，截至 8 月，已记录到 21012 个外语通话，几乎与去年全年总数持平。

尽管多次提出增加口译员的要求，但由于缺乏资金，招聘工作仍然停滞不前。

除了紧急呼叫外，警方在为外国公民在警察局进行当面讯问时，还面临着寻找翻译的挑战，因为他们依赖的是平民翻译而不是专门的工作人员。

与配备值班翻译的 112 紧急呼叫中心不同，警察局根据具体情况安排翻译服务，聘请通常身兼其他工作的平民翻译。

截至上个月，首尔地方警察厅共有629名注册的民间翻译。其中，中文翻译人数最多，为198人，其次是英语97人、越南语64人、日语57人、俄语39人、蒙古语33人和泰语18人。

然而，不同语种的翻译人员数量存在差异，加上时间安排冲突，常常导致警方在需要时难以找到翻译人员。

在犯罪现场，这一挑战更大，因为在短时间内找到翻译人员可能尤其困难。

在逮捕外国公民时，准确的沟通尤为重要，因为警方依法有义务告知嫌疑人其享有的权利，包括逮捕原因以及根据米兰达警告获得法律顾问的权利。

为了应对这些挑战，警方已开始使用智能手机应用程序和翻译设备，但此类举措仍仅限于个别警察机构和派出所，而不是在全国范围内实施。

京畿道南部地方警察厅开发了一款智能手机应用程序，允许警员用嫌疑人的母语向其宣读米兰达警告。警员可以选择语言，该应用程序会以语音和文字两种方式提供警告。

与此同时，首尔麻浦警察署引进了一款独立的翻译设备，可以将警员的口语翻译成选定的外语。该设备可用于宣读米兰达警告，并协助寻求警方服务的外国公民。

警方还在开发人工智能翻译系统，以减轻处理外语紧急呼叫日益增长的负担。

该系统将自动检测外语，并实时翻​​译警察与报警人之间的对话。

然而，在系统完全开发和部署之前，警方将不得不继续依赖现有的翻译人员，语言障碍仍然是应急响应行动中持续存在的挑战。