Seoul's 120 Dasan Call Center adds English text consultation service

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's 120 Dasan Call Foundation announced Tuesday that it launched an English text consultation service Monday.

The service operates on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residents can send an English-language text to 02-120 from a mobile phone to receive information on Seoul city administration and daily life, including transportation and water services.

There is no separate consultation fee; only the standard text messaging charge under the user's mobile plan applies. Those who need foreign-language assistance outside operating hours can contact other agencies, such as the Danuri Call Center.

The city said the service was introduced to give foreign residents who find phone calls difficult or prefer texting a broader range of options for seeking help.

The foundation has offered foreign-language phone consultations in five languages — English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Mongolian — since 2010. Callers can access the service by dialing 02-120 and pressing 9, and the line handles more than 20,000 consultations a year on average.

Alongside the phone and text services, the foundation plans to expand its multilingual online presence. It will begin posting key Seoul city policies and lifestyle information in multiple languages on its Instagram account and blog, which have until now operated primarily in Korean.

The foundation also plans to make the English text service available during the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day, scheduled for next August. Working with the event's organizing committee, it will provide participants with information in areas the committee cannot easily cover on its own, such as transportation, safety and medical services.

Song Ju-beom, chairman of the foundation, said the organization would "evolve to support the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day and serve as a reliable guide for all those who visit Seoul from around the world."

The 120 Dasan Call Center launched in September 2007 during Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's first term in office. At the time, public complaint hotlines scattered across Seoul city agencies were consolidated under the single number 120. In 2017, the operation transitioned from a private outsourcing model to the foundation, a Seoul city-funded institution. Drawing on a standardized consultation database of more than 10,000 entries, it provides around-the-clock, year-round assistance covering transportation, welfare, administration and general lifestyle information.