Fire evacuation guidance function added to the '119 Safety Call' (119안심콜) — from August 20, an intensive campaign for guardians of kindergarten and elementary school children to sign up
Source material is a Korean government announcement (in Korean).
A guardian can sign up on the 119 Safety Call (119안심콜) website (u119.nfa.go.kr) and register the details of a child or other person who needs help evacuating in a fire; when a fire is reported, a 119 situation officer calls the registered person directly and guides them on how to evacuate in that situation.
Key facts
| Intensive campaign period | From August 20, 2026 until the 30th of the following month |
|---|---|
| Target | Kindergarten children and elementary school students nationwide, and their guardians |
| Where to sign up | 119 Safety Call website https://u119.nfa.go.kr or the QR code (정보무늬) in the information materials |
| Newly added function | A fire evacuation guidance function added to the existing 119 Safety Call system |
| How it works | When a fire is reported, the 119 general situation room automatically looks up the information of registered subscribers based on the address in the standard emergency rescue system (표준긴급구조시스템) → a 119 situation officer calls the registered person directly, and if there is no answer, calls the registered guardian |
| Additional notice in apartment buildings | Registered persons and their guardians living in the building where the fire broke out are informed by mobile phone text message of the fire and of the need to evacuate |
| Personal information | Registered information is used for the purpose of evacuation guidance when a fire occurs and is managed so that it is not unnecessarily exposed or used for other purposes |
| Enquiries | Education Safety Policy Division, Ministry of Education 044-203-6678 · Prevention Policy Division, National Fire Agency 044-205-7443 |
Last checked:
On August 18, 2026, the Ministry of Education (교육부) and the National Fire Agency (소방청) said that from the 20th of this month until the 30th of next month they will promote sign-ups for the '119 Safety Call' (119안심콜), to which a fire evacuation guidance function has been added, targeting kindergarten children and elementary school students nationwide and their guardians. Once a guardian signs up through the 119 Safety Call website (u119.nfa.go.kr) or the QR code (정보무늬) in the information materials and registers the details of a person who needs help evacuating in a fire, the 119 general situation room automatically looks up the subscriber information registered at that address when a fire is reported, and a situation officer calls the registered person directly to guide them on evacuating. If the person does not answer, the officer calls the registered guardian.
Background — why this change
The National Fire Agency added a fire evacuation guidance function to the existing 119 Safety Call system after two apartment fires in Busan last year, which occurred while guardians were away from home and in which 4 young sisters died. On June 24 last year, 2 elementary school sisters died in an apartment in Busanjin-gu, and on July 2 of the same year, 2 sisters — a kindergarten child and an elementary school student — died in an apartment in Gijang-gun; both accidents happened while the guardians were away from home. The Ministry of Education and the National Fire Agency plan to expand sign-ups through this intensive campaign and to prepare measures for ongoing promotion.
Summaries below are factual notes based on government announcements and primary sources — not evaluations or opinions.
FAQ
How do I sign up?
A guardian signs up by going to the 119 Safety Call website (u119.nfa.go.kr) or the QR code (정보무늬) in the information materials, and then registers the details of the person who needs help evacuating in a fire. The Ministry of Education is working with metropolitan and provincial offices of education to provide information through kindergartens and elementary schools by newsletters, notification apps and mobile phone text messages, and also provides a QR code for easy sign-up by smartphone.
What happens in a fire once I have signed up?
When a fire is reported, the 119 general situation room automatically looks up the 119 Safety Call subscriber information registered at that location, based on the address entered in the standard emergency rescue system. If a subscriber is registered, a 119 situation officer calls the registered person directly to check their current location, whether they are safe and whether they can evacuate, and guides them on how to evacuate in that situation, taking into account how the fire is developing and the person's age and mobility. If the person does not answer, the officer calls the registered guardian.
Can only children be registered?
The National Fire Agency added this function for people who are vulnerable when evacuating from a fire — children left without care, people with disabilities, older people and others who find it hard to quickly become aware that a fire has broken out or to evacuate on their own. This intensive campaign is being carried out for kindergarten children, elementary school students and their guardians as the school term begins.