Residents, Seocho Police Station and district officials conducted a nighttime inspection Thursday along designated women's safe-return routes, checking security cameras, emergency bells, streetlight brightness and safety signage.
Seoul's Seocho-gu said it conducted a joint civil-police monitoring inspection of women's safe-return routes along Nambusunhwan-ro 315-gil on the night of Thursday, as part of efforts to strengthen the district's community safety network.
The inspection brought together 11 members of the district's Women-Friendly Supporters group and 10 officials from the Seocho Police Station's crime prevention unit, the Seocho Gender Equality Activity Center and the district office's women and childcare division. The teams conducted a thorough review of the designated safe-return routes, which were established to provide a secure walking environment for women and socially vulnerable residents.
The inspection aimed to close gaps in urban safety and accessibility that can vary by gender, age and disability status, and to incorporate residents' everyday experiences into district policy. From May through October, the Women-Friendly Supporters worked with experts to develop localized monitoring indicators through training sessions and preliminary surveys. The group then visited all 11 designated safe-return routes to assess whether facilities and the surrounding environment met the established standards.
Moving along routes through areas dense with single-room rental housing and multi-unit residential buildings, the joint inspection team focused on three areas: whether security CCTV cameras and emergency call bells were functioning properly, whether streetlights and security lights provided adequate brightness, and whether reflective mirrors and safety signage were in good condition. The team paid particular attention to blind spots and sources of anxiety identified by residents themselves, in order to improve the sense of safety felt at night.
Seocho-gu was first designated a women-friendly city by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2016. Since then, it has pursued a range of policies — including expanding the Seocho Women and Family Plaza network and opening the Seocho Gender Equality Activity Center — earning recognition that led to its redesignation at the second tier of the women-friendly city program in 2021.
Building on that record, the district has been broadening its women-friendly policies into areas such as women's employment and safety council operations, and is now preparing for a third redesignation this year.
The district has also been active in rolling out safety measures residents can feel directly in their daily lives, including a women's safe-return escort program and an anti-hidden-camera patrol service.
Lee Eun-jeong, head of the Seocho-gu Women-Friendly Supporters, said the inspection was meaningful. "Even a familiar street can become a dangerous blind spot on a dark night," she said. "Being able to walk through every corner and identify hazards firsthand made this a truly worthwhile experience."
District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said the district would continue to act on feedback gathered in the field. "We will keep a close watch so that the improvements residents pointed out during this on-site inspection are reflected in real changes, allowing our neighbors to return home with greater peace of mind," he said. "Going forward, we will continue to pursue thoughtful, resident-driven policies to build a women-friendly city where both women and men can live safely and happily."
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