South Korea's emergency kit: 3 days and a bag for everyone
Korea's National Disaster and Safety Portal asks households to keep enough supplies to live independently for at least 3 days, and every family member to have their own go-bag ready to grab. The national safety education platform lists food and medicine for at least 3 days, water, a flashlight, a radio and warm clothing. Its separate home-stockpile advice goes further, suggesting 15 to 30 days of food.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the South Korea advice adds up to.
Keep enough at home to live independently for at least 3 days.
Drinking water for 2 people. South Korea sets no daily figure here, so this uses 3 L, the most common official number.
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 3). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
The same portal's home-stockpile page suggests 15 to 30 days of food per household, separate from the 3-day minimum.
What goes in a Korean survival bag
The national safety education platform groups the bag into food and medicine, hygiene, and safety gear. Use a sturdy backpack or a bag with wheels.
- Food and medicine for at least 3 days
- Bottled water (the platform lists 500 ml bottles per person) and drinks
- A flashlight, a portable radio and spare batteries
- A lighter and a multi-tool
- A first aid kit and the medicines you take
- Soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a towel
- Warm clothing and a blanket
- Emergency cash, a phone charger and a whistle
How South Korea warns you
- Emergency disaster text alerts are broadcast to phones in the affected area. Since 2024, alerts include English keywords such as 'Earthquake' and the magnitude.
- In an air raid, sirens, text alerts and radio signal the stages: an air raid alert, a standby warning, and an all-clear.
- In a real air raid alert, go to the nearest underground shelter. If none is close, use the basement of a nearby building.
- The Ministry's Emergency Ready app shows nearby civil defense shelters and safety guides in English and several other languages.
South Korea-specific steps
- Find your nearest civil defense shelter now in the Emergency Ready app or a map app such as Naver Map or KakaoMap.
- For earthquake shelters, use the Korean-language National Disaster and Safety Portal, since the English app mainly lists civil defense shelters.
- Pack a bag for each family member, keep it where you can grab it on the way out, and check expiry dates and batteries regularly.
- Take part in the national civil defense drills so you know the sirens and your route.
Go beyond the minimum: what we recommend
Official lists cover the basics. These are the gaps we see most often when an emergency lasts longer than expected.
- Build toward 7 days of water and food, even if the official minimum is 3. Outages often last longer than planned.
- Keep paper and digital copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions, so you can prove who you are and get medicines.
- Write the expiry date on everything and check the kit every 6 months, so it doesn't quietly go out of date.
- Plan for phone power: a charged power bank, plus a solar panel or car charger for longer outages.
- Save offline maps of your area and agree a meeting point, in case the mobile network is down.
- An offline survival guide on your phone: HAVEN tracks your kit and expiry dates and works with no signal.Download HAVEN free
Numbers to write down
- 119 · Fire and ambulance
- 112 · Police
- Emergency Ready app · Shelters and alerts
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN tracks your survival bags and home supplies in days for your household, reminds you before food, water and batteries expire, and keeps first aid guides offline on your phone.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How South Korea compares
South Korea: 3 days. Across the 25 governments we checked, most ask for 3 days, a growing group asks for a week, and Austria asks for the most, at 10 to 14 days. See every country's advice.
South Korea preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does Korea recommend?
At least 3 days. The National Disaster and Safety Portal asks households to keep enough to live independently for at least 3 days. Its home-stockpile page suggests 15 to 30 days of food for longer emergencies.
What is a survival bag (생존배낭)?
A go-bag for each family member with food, water, medicine, a flashlight, a radio, hygiene items and warm clothing, ready to grab when you leave home.
How do I find the nearest shelter in Korea?
Use the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Emergency Ready app or a map app such as Naver Map or KakaoMap. There are about 17,000 civil defense shelters nationwide.
Will I get emergency alerts in English?
Partly. Since 2024, Korean emergency texts include English keywords such as 'Earthquake'. The Emergency Ready app has full information in English and several other languages.
Should I buy a lot of food?
Build supplies gradually. The portal warns against hoarding, since the government keeps grain reserves.
Official sources
- National Disaster and Safety Portal (English)
- 우리 가족 생존배낭 만들고 활용하기 (National Safety Education Platform)
- 비상대비 물자 준비요령 (National Disaster and Safety Portal)
- Disaster Evacuation Information (Seoul Metropolitan Government)
This page summarises official advice and is not a substitute for it. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. Last checked 2 November 2026.