Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visits the 120 Dasan Call Foundation in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 14 this year, receiving a briefing on operations. [Newsis]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visits the 120 Dasan Call Foundation in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 14 this year, receiving a briefing on operations. [Newsis]

An analysis of calls handled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 120 Dasan Call Foundation during last year's Liberation Day holiday found that inquiries about emergency medical services and public transportation dominated the volume. The foundation used the findings to identify likely repeat queries and strengthen its response systems ahead of this year's holiday.

According to the foundation, 32,209 consultations were received across all channels — phone, text, chat, chatbot and the Smart Complaint Report app — during the three-day Liberation Day holiday from Aug. 15 to Aug. 17 last year. That holiday also ran three days, from Friday through Sunday.

A breakdown of those consultations showed that emergency and medical inquiries numbered 187, public transportation guidance 474, and Han River park event inquiries 66.

Of the 187 emergency and medical inquiries, 101 were received on Liberation Day itself — roughly 3.4 times the 30 logged on Friday, Aug. 14.

Most questions centered on duty pharmacies, clinics and hospitals open on holidays, emergency medical centers and Seoul city hospitals. In one case during last year's holiday, a resident of Seongbuk-gu called 120 saying their child had suddenly developed a high fever; a counselor provided the nearest emergency medical facility's contact information and explained how to use the 119 emergency service.

Of the 474 public transportation inquiries, 197 were received on Liberation Day itself, followed by 153 on Aug. 16 and 124 on Aug. 17. Public transportation guidance ranked first among all consultation categories during last year's Liberation Day holiday.

Callers asked mainly about first and last departure times for buses and subway lines operating on holiday schedules, as well as route and stop locations, limousine and express bus timetables, and real-time bus locations and fares.

Expecting similar demand this year, the foundation reviewed relevant entries across its standard consultation database of 9,810 items, including information on hospitals and pharmacies open on holidays, bus and subway service schedules, and Han River park events and facility operations.

"The 120 service will do its best to anticipate repeat questions, prepare answers in advance, and serve citizens conveniently throughout this year's Liberation Day holiday and vacation season," said Park Jae-hee, the foundation's head of management.

The 120 Dasan Call service operates around the clock, including on holidays. Callers within Seoul can dial 120 from a landline without an area code; those using mobile phones or calling from outside Seoul can reach the service at 02-120. Text consultation, visual automated response, social media, the "Seoul Talk" chatbot and the Seoul Smart Complaint Report app are also available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.


ken@heraldcorp.com