Previously, the app provided alerts in English and Chinese. From August 26, it will also include Thai and Japanese.

The emergency app, managed by MOIS, offers multilingual support for 36 emergency services, including alerts, safety instructions, embassy information, fire stations, police stations, and civil defence shelters.

With the addition of five languages, MOIS aims to benefit over 1.7 million people. Alerts will be available in both text and audio formats for those who may have difficulty reading on screens. The service will undergo a two-month trial period before its official launch, with adjustments based on user feedback.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the RoK had approximately 2.5 million foreign residents in 2023, including about 270,000 Vietnamese speakers.

Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said that the ministry has expanded the emergency alert service to more languages so that everyone, not just Koreans, can easily access emergency information.

In addition to the new languages, MOIS has also been adding English keywords to emergency alerts since February, aimed at users within a certain radius of emergency situations./.VNA