The archive · Public & Social · Product decision · 2022–2023
Knock Knock gives South Korea's 112 a silent signal for people who cannot speak
Tap twice after dialing 112 and a silent link lets police see, locate and chat with a victim — Korea's emergency call for people who cannot speak.
Korean National Police Agency · Cheil Worldwide
What it had to solve
In eight years domestic violence cases reported in South Korea rose 718%, yet only about 2% of incidents reach the police, largely because victims share a space with their abuser and cannot speak. Deaf people and other callers who could not talk had no way to request help on the 112 emergency line either.
How it works
Domestic violence is a problem victims cannot always report: in South Korea reported cases rose 718% over eight years, yet only about 2% of incidents reach the police. The barrier is often physical — the victim is in the same space as the abuser and cannot talk. Deaf callers and others who cannot speak faced the same wall on the 112 emergency line.
Cheil Worldwide and the Korean National Police Agency answered with Knock Knock. After dialing 112, a caller taps any number twice as if knocking; the call handler sends a link that lets police watch through the caller's camera, track their location and exchange texts through an interface disguised as a Google search page, so the abuser sees nothing. Some 4,800 call handlers were trained across the country, and the feature was promoted through beauty channels, nail salons and a deaf actress endorser so word reached women quietly.
Knock Knock quickly moved from campaign to infrastructure: 5,749 links were sent to callers in emergency situations, and the service formally became an official 112 emergency call in South Korea. At ADFEST 2023 it collected seven awards including the Grande for Humanity, and Cheil Worldwide Seoul became the first South Korean agency to win the festival's Digital Agency of the Year.
Why it lands
- It worked inside the existing 112 number, so nobody had to memorize or explain a new emergency channel.
- Camera, location and a disguised chat gave police enough to act without alerting the abuser in the room.
- The same silent channel served deaf callers, widening the feature beyond its domestic-violence origin.
- Training 4,800 real call handlers made the response operational rather than just an awareness campaign.
What it did
Within the first months the service sent 5,749 links to callers in emergency situations and formally became an official 112 emergency call in South Korea, generating 237 million media impressions. At ADFEST 2023 it won seven awards including the Grande for Humanity; Cheil Worldwide Seoul also became the festival's first South Korean Digital Agency of the Year.
What you can take
When people cannot call for help, redesign the call itself: a silent tap signal plus disguised follow-up made the national emergency line usable by victims who could never speak into it before.
Since then
Within months Knock Knock became an official 112 emergency call in South Korea after sending 5,749 links to callers in danger, and it won seven ADFEST 2023 trophies including the Grande for Humanity. It was the second collaboration between Cheil and the police agency, following the 2020 Hope Tape campaign for missing children, and showed an emergency service could be redesigned around the people who cannot use it.
Sources
- ADFEST 2023 winners details — Knock Knock (A Silent Emergency Call)
- Korean National Police Agency Campaign Gives a Voice to People Unable to Speak
- Cheil Worldwide Wins Grande for Humanity at ADFEST 2023
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card