4,034 calls in just 3 months

One person made 2,661 calls, another sent 2,886 texts

Callers hung up, sent unrelated photos, or asked for a ride home while drunk

Repeated warnings ignored before charges filed

City urges public to reserve 119 for genuine emergencies

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has filed criminal charges against repeat callers who contacted 119 emergency services multiple times for non-emergency matters. (Photo unrelated to article) [Getty Images Bank]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has filed criminal charges against repeat callers who contacted 119 emergency services multiple times for non-emergency matters. (Photo unrelated to article) [Getty Images Bank]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has filed criminal charges against five people who repeatedly called the 119 emergency line for non-emergency matters, signaling a tougher stance on nuisance callers.

The city announced Sunday that it had recently filed criminal complaints against five habitual callers who made a combined 8,710 calls to 119 over the one-year period from September last year through August this year, disrupting emergency dispatch operations.

The five made 4,034 of those calls in just the past three months. The Seoul Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Center identified the 10 most frequent non-emergency callers over that three-month period, obtained their call records and analyzed the content, frequency and patterns of their reports. The center then consulted with the judicial police team of the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters to assess whether the calls were intentional and constituted obstruction of official duties.

Cases involving elderly residents with routine welfare concerns or possible equipment malfunctions were excluded from consideration for charges, even when call volumes were high.

The center sent multiple warning messages to those under review, asking them to refrain from repeat calls. When the calls continued, it filed criminal charges against the five.

Among those charged, the highest individual call counts were 2,661 phone calls and 2,886 text messages respectively. Common patterns included calling and then not responding, sending photos unrelated to any emergency, rambling incoherently, and calling while intoxicated to request a ride home.

The center said repeated non-emergency calls and false or prank reports drain limited dispatch staff and response resources, potentially delaying action in genuine life-threatening situations.

The Seoul Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Center said it will continue to review the content, frequency, intent and operational impact of calls, and will take firm action against anyone who obstructs the normal functioning of the 119 emergency operations center.

Meanwhile, Seoul has the highest volume of 119 prank calls of any city or province in the country. According to 2023 data, nearly half — 44 percent — of all prank calls to 119 nationwide originated in Seoul. Since 2021, the government has imposed fines of up to 5 million won ($3,750) for making false reports to 119.

"We ask citizens to cooperate in building a culture of responsible reporting so that 119 can respond swiftly when it truly matters," said Hong Yeong-geun, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters.


ikson@heraldcorp.com