South Korea is an extremely safe country, although theft, assault and hotel burglary might happen in major cities such as Busan or Seoul. Take care especially in known tourist areas. Use only legitimate taxis. Illegitimate taxis run even from the airport, and their safety and honesty cannot always be guaranteed. Be also careful late at night with non-Koreans in some areas of Seoul, such as Itaewon. Security is monitored strictly in Korea, so crime is really rare and it is uncommon to have any big problems.

The emergency number for police is 112 from a phone and region code-112 from a cellular phone, and fire and ambulance services are 119 and region code-119 from a cellular. Emergency-service English interpreters are available 24 hours a day.