Resident-led, cross-sector collaboration shapes neighborhood safety across Yongsan-gu
District expands 'lifestyle safety design' project from Yongsan 2-ga-dong and Cheongpa-dong to Huam-dong
Seoul's Yongsan-gu has received a commendation from the Korean National Police Agency chief at the 11th Korea Crime Prevention Awards, in recognition of its efforts to build a safer environment tailored to the district's unique characteristics.
At the awards ceremony, co-hosted by the Korean National Police Agency and other organizations, Yongsan-gu was highly praised for its "Yongsan-style lifestyle safety design" project, which addressed not only crime-prone environments but also the everyday anxieties residents experience in their daily lives.
Judges particularly noted the district's resident-driven model — in which community members identify local problems and take part in finding solutions — and its expansion of public safety through collaboration among residents, government, academia and police.
The Yongsan-style lifestyle safety design project aims to improve the living environment that contributes to crime and resident unease. Its defining feature is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach that tackles not only crime risk factors such as dark alleyways, abandoned waste and derelict buildings, but also pedestrian safety, privacy concerns, noise, and traffic and parking issues.
The district analyzes vulnerabilities in each neighborhood by combining police crime data, resident feedback and on-site surveys, then applies design, technology and administrative solutions grounded in crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Rather than simply adding more CCTV cameras and lighting, the project focuses on improving the living environment itself — the conditions that raise both the likelihood of crime and residents' sense of insecurity.
The project launched in 2024 in Yongsan 2-ga-dong and Cheongpa-dong.
In Yongsan 2-ga-dong, 19 solutions — including child and parent safety zones, safety pipe covers and security fencing around derelict buildings — were installed at 100 locations. In Cheongpa-dong, nine solutions were introduced at 71 locations, among them a community safety space called "Bandi," a safety shutter gallery, smart windows and illuminated safety handrails.
The smart windows in Cheongpa-dong were designed with the neighborhood's narrow building gaps in mind, allowing residents to adjust window opacity at the press of a button to protect their privacy. Bandi — a repurposed neighborhood watch post transformed into a resident rest area and safe transaction space — has also established itself as a practical safety facility that residents can feel in their everyday lives.
From the 2025 Hangang-ro-dong phase onward, the district significantly deepened resident participation. Yongsan-gu developed a living lab called "Yongyong Lab," through which residents, merchants and visitors can identify crime and safety concerns in their area and propose solutions.
Resident input was then developed into concrete measures by the Yongsan Police Station, neighborhood watch teams, experts, private companies and relevant district departments working together. The process yielded 21 solutions applied at 255 locations — including integrated residential markers combining lighting with crime-reporting QR codes, safety corners at mixed pedestrian-vehicle stretches, owl-themed manner reminder signs, rainwater-sharing containers and tri-vision etiquette markers.
This year, the project expanded to the area around Samgwang Elementary School in Huam-dong. Through a Yongyong Lab session involving both residents and children, the district is identifying and addressing safety vulnerabilities along school commute routes and alleyways — including stretches where pedestrian and vehicle paths overlap, poorly lit spaces and obstructive structures.
The district plans to assess the project's effectiveness using police crime data and resident satisfaction surveys, and to incorporate the findings into follow-up phases. Solutions proven effective in the field will be managed for potential rollout in other neighborhoods, with the project set to continue in cooperation with the Yongsan Police Station and other partner organizations.
Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae said crime prevention begins with identifying and improving the living conditions that leave residents vulnerable and anxious. "We will build a safe environment that residents can feel in their daily lives, drawing on the voices of the community, the expertise of police and the execution capacity of local government," Kim said.
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