Some 20 different emergency phone numbers will be integrated into three from July next year, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security said Tuesday.
The ministry said it has finalized plans to integrate the numbers so that one can dial 112 to report a crime, 119 to report emergencies and 110 to make nonemergency reports. It added that all numbers will have English-language service.
When the system is reorganized, distress calls made to the numbers will be shared among relevant organizations in real time to enable faster countermeasures, the ministry said.
Some 32 billion won ($27 million) will be put into setting up the system.
There are currently different numbers for different type of emergencies including 182 for a missing child. 1231 for prosecutorial crime, 117 for school violence, 1366 for violence against women, 125 for smuggling, 122 for maritime accidents, 128 for environmental pollution and 118 for cyberterrorism, among others.
(
khnews@heraldcorp.com)
