The Namyeong-dong neighborhood in Seoul's Yongsan-gu deployed its "Night Safety Avengers" patrol unit on Thursday evening, canvassing the low-income rooming-house district of Dongja-dong to check on residents worn down by the summer heat.
The Night Safety Avengers is a joint patrol team formed in December 2025 under the coordination of the Namyeong-dong Community Service Center, bringing together the neighborhood's volunteer crime-prevention corps, local block captains, the Yongsan Police Station and the Yongsan Fire Station. The unit conducts regular patrols to monitor public safety, prevent fires and address residents' everyday concerns.
Thursday's activity focused on 12 buildings — including the one at 99 Huam-ro — where housing-vulnerable residents are concentrated, with the aim of checking on those worn out by the prolonged heat wave. Patrol members confirmed the well-being of at-risk residents and distributed 200 cooling towels and 200 instant ice packs to help them cope with the heat.
With civilian, government, police and fire personnel each bringing their own perspective, the team surveyed the neighborhood broadly — monitoring nighttime disturbances, fire hazards, sanitation conditions and the welfare of vulnerable residents. The patrol also identified broken streetlights and arranged for prompt repairs so that alleyways would not be left in darkness.
A community center official said the patrol went beyond surface-level outdoor activity to become a hands-on welfare effort, with team members entering residents' living spaces to check on their daily conditions directly. "We will continue to pool the community's resources to protect vulnerable residents from harm and build a safe, comfortable neighborhood," the official said.
Meanwhile, the Namyeong-dong Community Service Center also conducted patrols during the severe cold spell in January, distributing hand warmers to residents at that time.
Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae said the close-knit public-private safety net becomes all the more critical as climate-driven hardships — from heat waves to cold snaps — grow more severe. "We will continue to work closely with the community to look after the daily lives of vulnerable residents with care, and build a safe Yongsan where every resident can live with peace of mind," he said.
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