If you are at the scene now, attend to people and traffic danger before reading this whole guide. In South Korea, tap 119 for ambulance/fire when needed, or 112 for police. These short emergency codes are dialed locally in Korea, not with a +82 prefix. This guide and the insurer directory were checked 28 September 2026.

The cover shows exterior bumper deformation and scuffing; it does not prove what happened, who was at fault, whether hidden components are damaged, or whether the car is safe to drive.

Your scene-to-claim sequence

  1. Stop and check for injury. Give necessary help, avoid a secondary collision and follow responder instructions. Photographing a dangerous live lane is not the priority.
  2. Record facts once it is safe. Capture both cars' positions, contact points, traffic signs/lanes and damage from wide and close angles. Preserve the original dashcam files. Note time, location, drivers' names and contact details, registration numbers, insurers and occupants.
  3. Contact the insurer shown on the actual motor policy. Ask for a claim reference and adjuster's contact details. Confirm which claims relate to injury, third-party property, and your own vehicle; ask separately about roadside assistance and towing.
  4. Track repair and liability discussions. Keep the initial and supplementary repair estimates, photos, replacement-part list and any approval trail. Supply video and other scene evidence if fault is disputed; do not treat a photographed dent as an internal inspection.

Original diagram showing scene safety, evidence preservation and claim reporting

Under Article 54 of Korea's Road Traffic Act, a driver involved in a traffic accident must stop immediately, take necessary measures including help for injured people, and provide identifying details to the injured/damaged party. The provision calls for prompt police reporting, with a stated exception where only vehicles were clearly damaged and the necessary measures were taken to avert road danger and allow traffic flow. This is not a blanket exemption for injuries, uncertainty, a departure without exchanging details, or unsafe conditions. Call 112 when police assistance is needed and follow local instructions.

The General Insurance Association of Korea (KNIA) standard accident agreement is a way to record basic facts with the other party. KNIA explicitly says signing it does not itself mean admitting fault. It also recommends sharing scene/damage images with the assigned insurer. Do not sign a narrative you know is inaccurate.

Tap-to-call motor insurer directory

Check the insurer named on your current policy, not just a comparison website or sales brand. The numbers below are the call-centre routes confirmed in this research, not a regulator-certified complete roster of current motor insurers; choose the motor-accident option in the voice menu. Tap a number to open the phone dialer. For each company we show a local Korean dial link and its requested +82-format version, but the +82-format links are not verified international claims lines. Korean 15xx/16xx non-geographic numbers may fail on foreign carriers or while roaming; do not rely on those links for urgent claims from abroad. In Korea, use the domestic link or your policy/app. From overseas, check the insurer's own published international contact; for example, AXA lists +82 31 8002 8000 for overseas consultation on its official call-centre page. This is a consultation route, not a separately verified direct accident-report line. Rental, fleet and mutual-aid/cooperative policies may have separate claims contacts.

Insurer (Korean name) Call in Korea +82 format (routing unverified) Accident menu
Samsung Fire (삼성화재) 1588-5114 +82 1588-5114 1
Hyundai Marine & Fire (현대해상) 1588-5656 +82 1588-5656 2
DB Insurance (DB손해보험) 1588-0100 +82 1588-0100 2
KB Insurance (KB손해보험) 1544-0114 +82 1544-0114 1
Meritz Fire (메리츠화재) 1566-7711 +82 1566-7711 자동차 사고접수 선택
Hanwha General Insurance (한화손해보험) 1566-8000 +82 1566-8000 자동차 사고접수 선택
Hanwha Carrot motor policies (한화손해보험 캐롯 상품) 1566-0300 +82 1566-0300 1
Lotte Insurance (롯데손해보험) 1588-3344 +82 1588-3344 2 → 1
Heungkuk Fire (흥국화재) 1688-1688 +82 1688-1688 1 → 1
AXA General Insurance (AXA손해보험) 1566-2266 +82 1566-2266 2 → 1
Hana Insurance (하나손해보험) 1566-3000 +82 1566-3000 2

Older MG policies: New MG business has ceased and existing policies were transferred to Yebyeol Insurance (예별손해보험). For an existing MG/Yebyeol motor policy: 1588-5959 in Korea or +82 1588-5959 in +82 form. Follow the current voice menu; human accident intake outside business hours has not been independently established. Yebyeol is not in the current-sales list above. FSC transfer notice

Meritz and non-Carrot Hanwha official accident pages resisted direct access during this check; their general lines are corroborated by official indexed text and the KNIA general-number directory. Check your current policy/app first. The +82 links are dial-format conveniences, not a guarantee of overseas routing.

Original card separating claim reference, repair estimate, further damage and fault review

Questions to ask before authorizing a repair

  • What is my claim number and who is responsible for injury, property damage and my car? Has the other driver's insurer separately opened its own claim?
  • Is a tow required, what does my coverage actually include, and where should the car be moved? Check any unsolicited roadside-tow offer against insurer instructions.
  • Who will inspect the bumper, mounting components and any sensors, and how will newly discovered damage be approved? A visible gap is not itself a sensor or structural diagnosis.
  • What estimates, parts and service records will I receive? Are rental-car or transport expenses covered under this policy and this claim?
  • If fault is disputed, which dashcam or scene materials does the insurer need, and what reasoning underlies its proposal? The KNIA accident-fault information portal is a reference for patterns and dispute procedures, not an automatic verdict for this photo.
  • If you develop pain, speak to a medical professional and ask about the injury-claim procedure. This article does not set a settlement timetable or amount.

For a shorter Korean scene checklist, see Life Mokcha on Naver.

About the Author

Life Mokcha separates immediate safety, factual documentation, insurance reporting and repair/fault review. This general guide is not individualized legal, medical or claims advice.

References