From the Sinchon International Student Center to 120 and medical interpreting: 5 support points outside Seoul universities

In 2026, the network of contacts where international students studying in Seoul can get help outside their universities became denser. The Seoul Global International Student Support Center opened in Sinchon in May, creating a dedicated space where students can get advice on employment and entrepreneurship, visas and residence, and adapting to daily life.

The student center does not handle every issue. The 120 Dasan Call Center is faster for water, transport, local taxes, and district-office complaints, and hospital patients can use the medical interpreting program. The Seoul Foreign Resident Center handles psychological counseling and general daily-life concerns, while the Seoul Global Center in Jongno provides comprehensive support for entrepreneurship and foreign residents. Seoul's support network is less a structure concentrated in one place than one that connects contact points by problem.

The first contact differs by problem

The Sinchon center focuses on international students' employment and settlement

The Seoul Global International Student Support Center is located in Sinchon, where major universities are concentrated. It has counseling rooms, classrooms, a shared office, and community space, and began full operation in May 2026. Unlike the Seoul Global Center in Jongno, which has supported foreign residents generally, the Sinchon center focuses on international students' employment and settlement.

At its opening, Seoul said the center planned to run trade-marketer training linked to the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, information on companies hiring foreign nationals, resume and personal-statement counseling, and monthly career days. A June notice also said the center's employment programs and counseling services would continue.

The center launched as a hub for international students with information on visas, housing, and life in Seoul, as well as community space. Check the center's notices for the next sessions of TOPIK preparation classes, speaking groups, international-student association meetings, and job-preparation meetings.

Seoul's 30 Days Around Seoul program also operates within this system. Its fourth cohort runs from July 15 to August 28 for 100 students enrolled at Seoul universities and job seekers within 2 years of graduation. The course combines labor law and immigration law, resumes, business Korean, company visits, and cultural experiences. Recruitment for this cohort has ended, but it illustrates the employment and settlement programs the student center runs.

Call 120 for water, transport, and district-office matters

For home water bills, public transport, local taxes, district facilities, and complaints, the 120 Dasan Call Center is a better fit than the student center. It provides consultation on Seoul and its 25 district administrations through one number. Dial 120 from a landline in Seoul, or 02-120 from a mobile phone or outside Seoul.

Foreign-language consultation is available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian. Korean-language consultation is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It serves as a starting point for daily-life problems such as lost property, transport inconvenience, or changing the name on a water account when people do not know which agency to ask.

Medical interpreting at hospitals; a resident center when mental health is strained

Hospital treatment involves describing symptoms as well as registration, tests, and prescriptions, so it requires more specialization than everyday interpreting. The Seoul Foreign Resident Portal separately operates the 2026 MeSic medical-interpreting support project. It connects interpretation for foreign nationals who live in Seoul or whose school or workplace activity area is in Seoul when they use medical institutions. Supported languages and appointment availability must be confirmed during the application process.

Psychological counseling is available at the Seoul Foreign Resident Center in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu. From February through October 2026, it provides adult foreign nationals who live in Seoul or whose school or workplace activity area is in Seoul with 5 one-on-one counseling sessions as the standard service. Counseling is available in Korean, English, and Chinese, and applications are made in person.

The Seoul Foreign Resident Center is not a facility exclusively for international students. It is a comprehensive support institution for foreign residents generally, providing multilingual consultation and daily-life support. Its role therefore complements, rather than overlaps with, the Sinchon center's focus on study and employment by supporting daily life and mental health.

International-student services and comprehensive foreign-resident support are separate

The Seoul Global International Student Support Center and the Seoul Global Center have similar names but serve different groups. The Sinchon student center focuses on employment, entrepreneurship, settlement after study, and international-student networks. The Seoul Global Center in Jongno supports a broader population that includes foreign residents and entrepreneurs. The Seoul Foreign Resident Center in Yeongdeungpo provides resident services such as general daily-life support, multilingual consultation, and psychological counseling.