First contact your family and/or friends at home. They may be able to resolve your difficulty for you or help you to do so without further assistance.

If you cannot resolve the matter by yourself, you can contact the Embassy. All after- hours telephone callers to the Embassy at (822) 774-6455 will be given a separate number to call. This will put you in touch directly with an Embassy official. If necessary, you can also make direct contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland, which has a 24-hour Duty Officer who may be contacted in emergencies at + 353 1 4780822.

Contacting the emergency services in South Korea (Republic of Korea)

If you require urgent medical treatment

The Embassy can:-
Offer general advice on the local medical services
Provide a list of local English-speaking doctors or hospitals
Assist in liaising with doctors or hospitals
Advise relatives or friends about accidents or illnesses
Assist in arranging repatriation to Ireland

However, the Embassy cannot:-
Pay medical or hospital bills
Provide medical advice
Pursue insurance companies about payment of or refund of the cost of medical treatment
Pursue claims for compensation relating to negligence, injury or any other matter
Pay for visits by relatives 

If you have been the victim of a crime

The Embassy can:-
Inform family or friends of your situation
Help you to transfer funds from home if this is necessary
Provide a list of English-speaking lawyers
Assist in liaising with the local police
Assist families in arranging repatriation to Ireland

However, the Embassy cannot:-
Give legal advice
Intervene in court proceedings
Investigate a crime
Pay legal costs

If you have been arrested or imprisoned

One of the most important functions of Irish Embassies and Consulates is to ensure that the rights of Irish citizens who are arrested or imprisoned abroad are fully respected.  If you are arrested, in many cases the local authorities will only contact the Irish Embassy or Consulate if you specifically ask them to do so.

When the Embassy is informed of the arrest or imprisonment of an Irish citizen in South Korea (Republic of Korea), we will respond immediately and provide all possible consular assistance.

The Embassy can:-
Visit you or arrange for you to be visited
If necessary, provide you with a list of local English-speaking lawyers
Advise you about the prison system and about your entitlement to visits, mail and other facilities
Pursue with the prison authorities on your behalf complaints about ill-treatment or discrimination
Pass messages to and from your family (only with your permission)

However, the Embassy cannot:-
Secure better treatment for Irish citizens than local or other nationals receive
Give nor pay for legal advice
Interfere with or influence the local judicial system
Provide any financial assistance while you are in prison
Pay bail bonds nor fines

In this context you may wish to note the existence of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO). The ICPO is a voluntary agency that provides assistance to Irish prisoners overseas and to their families in Ireland. The ICPO can be contacted at

Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas
Columba Centre
St Patrick's College
Maynooth
Co Kildare
Tel: 00 353 1 505 3000
Fax: 00 353 1 601 6401
Email: icpo@iol.ie

When an Irish citizen dies in South Korea

If an Irish citizen dies while residing or visiting South Korea, the Embassy will provide all possible assistance in dealing with the formalities that arise in these situations.

The Embassy can:-
Assist relatives to appoint a local undertaker
Assist with procuring documents such as death certificates or medical or police reports
Assist relatives to communicate with the Police and other Authorities

However, the Embassy cannot:-
Investigate the circumstances of the death
Pay expenses relating to local burial or cremation
Pay the cost of repatriating the remains
Pay for relatives to travel to where the death occurred or to accompany the remains to Ireland 

Please click here for more information on “Travel Safely”.