Over 130 attend meeting at Dongdaemun Police Station on Tuesday; police, schools and residents share crime prevention measures and district safety initiatives
CCTV, street lighting, school commute safety and care facility security among topics discussed
A series of random-motive crimes has left the public on edge across South Korea.
Dongdaemun-gu has drawn praise for taking a proactive approach to the threat.
The district office hosted a community safety cooperation forum Tuesday at the seventh-floor auditorium of Dongdaemun Police Station, bringing together local stakeholders to address the rise in random-motive crimes and ease residents' anxiety.
The forum was designed to strengthen the community's public safety network by gathering the district office, the district council, police, educators and residents under one roof. Attendees — more than 130 in total — included Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min, the district council's vice speaker, the Dongdaemun Police Station chief, the principals of Yongdu, Jongam and Daegwang elementary schools, the principals of Daegwang and Seonil middle schools, team leaders from relevant departments, the heads of all 15 dong administrative units, and members of civic organizations and the general public.
The forum provided a comprehensive overview of the police station's key public safety activities and the district office's department-by-department safety initiatives aimed at addressing local security concerns.
Dongdaemun Police Station outlined a set of field-focused crime prevention measures: managing registered individuals flagged in media reports and conducting special patrols near their residences; deploying special security operations at crowded venues and carrying out themed inspections of bladed weapons to counter random-motive and knife crimes; stepping up visible plainclothes operations and taking a firm stance against knife-related offenses; securing public hospital beds for psychiatric emergency admissions; and strengthening efforts to block new forms of phishing crime while enhancing road safety activities.
Dongdaemun-gu then presented a coordinated response drawing on the resources of every district department. The district plans to expand the installation of crime-prevention CCTV cameras and strengthen monitoring at its integrated control center; install and maintain security lights in alleyways and develop safer pedestrian routes; and preemptively eliminate public safety risks through enhanced patrols.
The district also intends to operate school safety personnel projects and a children's road safety guide program; build a child and youth protection framework through safety management at after-school care facilities; and run a flexible safe-escort scout service while supporting volunteer neighborhood patrol activities — together forming a tightly woven, community-level safety net.
A resident feedback session followed, during which attendees shared firsthand concerns about crime risks in their neighborhoods and called for additional security infrastructure. The district office and police station then discussed immediate response measures to address those requests.
"Protecting residents' daily lives and safety is the most fundamental and non-negotiable value of district governance," District Mayor Choi said. "We will do our utmost to organically link the strong policing measures and district-wide safety initiatives discussed today with the voices of residents on the ground, so that every person in Dongdaemun-gu can go about their lives with peace of mind."
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