Most guides tell you to dial 1345 and stop there. Then you call, an automated voice answers in Korean, you press the number for your language, and nothing happens.
The step nobody writes down is this: after the language number, press the star key. The Ministry of Justice page says it plainly — press the number for the language you want, then the ＊ button, and the call continues in that language. Without it you are still inside a Korean menu.
That menu is worth knowing for its own sake. Two of its options finish a task without an operator at all. This guide covers who the line is for, how to get through it, what each option does, and where its interpretation service stops.
Who can call this line
Rules verified September 2026 · Framework Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in the Republic of Korea Article 20 · Enforcement Decree Article 16
The Immigration Contact Center (외국인종합안내센터) exists because a statute tells the Minister of Justice he may set one up. Article 20 (2) names two groups, and the Enforcement Decree defines the second one.
| Source | Who |
|---|---|
| Act, Article 20 (2) | Foreign residents (재한외국인), and others set by Presidential Decree |
| Decree, Article 16 | Those others are foreigners staying in the Republic of Korea |
The second row widens the first. The Act defines a foreign resident as a person without Korean nationality who is staying here lawfully with the intention of residing, which is a narrower group than everyone who happens to be in the country. The Decree then adds foreigners staying in Korea, without that condition attached.
That difference is what separates this line from the Danuri Call Center, which a different statute set up for marriage immigrants and multicultural families. If you are in Korea on a student visa, a work visa or a posting, 1345 is the line written for you.
What the center is there to do
The ministry lists three jobs, and only the first is what most people expect from a helpline.
The center itself is run under contract. The ministry publishes the arrangement openly: the current contract runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2026, and the operator is KTcs. The legal basis for contracting it out was added to the Act in October 2023.
One more thing sits in the same article, and it is easy to overlook. Article 20 (1) allows the head of a public institution to assign a staff member whose job is to guide foreign residents through civil procedures, and to have that person trained for it. It is permissive rather than mandatory, so whether such a person exists depends on the office. Still, asking at the counter whether someone handles foreigner cases is a reasonable question, and the statute is why.
How to reach an operator in your language
Three steps, and the third is the one that gets missed.
From outside Korea, dial +82-2-1345. The menu works the same way.
Either way, press your language number and then the star key, so have both ready before you dial.
What each ARS number does
Five options, and two of them finish a task by themselves. Knowing which is which saves the wait for an operator.
| Press | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| 1 | Where immigration offices are, which districts each one covers, and their opening hours |
| 2 | The result of a certificate of visa eligibility application (사증발급인정) |
| 3 | Reporting that a foreign employee has left a job, and fax reporting of a workplace change for working visit (H-2) holders |
| 4 | Questions about the Village Lawyer scheme |
| 0 | An operator |
Option 2 is the quiet one. A visa result check that would otherwise mean a call queue or a trip to an office runs through the menu instead. Option 3 covers a reporting duty that falls on employers as much as on workers.
When to call, and which languages stay at night
Weekdays, 09:00 to 22:00. It does not open on Saturday or Sunday. That is a longer day than most public offices, and the reason the line is useful after work — with one condition.
Twenty languages are listed for daytime service.
| Available | Languages |
|---|---|
| All opening hours | Korean, English, Chinese |
| Until 18:00 only | Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Mongolian, Indonesian, French, Russian, Nepali, Khmer, Burmese, German, Spanish, Filipino, Arabic, and three the page names by country: 방글라데시어 (Bangladesh), 파키스탄어 (Pakistan), 스리랑카어 (Sri Lanka) |
If your language is in the second row, plan the call for the working day. If it is not on the list at all, the Danuri Call Center carries a different set of fifteen around the clock.
Outside office hours the choice between the two national lines is made for you, so it is worth knowing both before you need either.
Three-way interpretation, and where it applies
The interpretation service adds an interpreter to a call between you and an institution. The Enforcement Decree describes it as interpretation and translation support for foreigner-related civil matters at administrative and public bodies, and the ministry names the bodies.
That list is narrower than it first looks. A hospital, a bank or a landlord is not on it. The Danuri line names hospitals, banks, schools and community service centers in its own list, so the two services cover different ground rather than duplicating each other.
The Decree also mentions translation alongside interpretation, which is a different service from putting an interpreter on a call. What that covers in practice is set by the contract rather than by the statute, so ask on the line what is available for a document rather than a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every figure here comes from the pages below. Menus and operating hours change, so open the page before you rely on it.