The district was named top overall institution at the 11th annual ceremony on Thursday, recognized for resident-led joint patrols and alley environment improvements. Residents, the district office, police and a university formed a crime prevention council, while smart security lights and intelligent CCTV systems were expanded.
Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu received a prime minister's commendation at the 11th Korea Crime Prevention Awards ceremony on Thursday.
The district was named the top overall institution at the awards, which are co-hosted by the Korean National Police Agency, earning the prime minister's commendation.
The Korea Crime Prevention Awards recognize local governments, private organizations and businesses that have contributed to community crime prevention, with the aim of broadening civic and private-sector participation in public safety efforts.
The district was praised for its Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) program, through which it analyzed crime vulnerability factors by neighborhood and pursued tailored environmental improvements to create conditions less conducive to crime.
Particularly notable were joint patrols conducted with the Dongdaemun Police Station and local residents, through which community members participated directly in every stage — from identifying high-risk areas to installing crime prevention infrastructure — in a resident-centered approach to public safety.
Key initiatives included forming a civilian-government-police-university crime prevention council to build a close cooperative governance structure; improving dark and narrow alleyways through murals, solar road markers and lighting installations; expanding advanced smart security infrastructure such as smart security lights, intelligent closed-circuit television cameras and multipurpose LED mirrors; and operating a layered, round-the-clock patrol system — daytime senior security wardens, nighttime volunteer patrol units and late-night safe-return escorts.
As a result, the number of 112 emergency crime reports in the district fell 8 percent from the previous year, and the incidence of the five major violent crimes dropped a combined 9 percent, delivering tangible improvements in public safety.
The district said it plans to continue expanding community-focused crime prevention policy, building on its growing base of safety infrastructure.
"This award is a meaningful achievement made possible by the district office, the Dongdaemun Police Station and residents all working as one, with resident safety as our top priority," Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said. "We will continue to strengthen a crime prevention system that connects environment, technology and people, to make Dongdaemun-gu a safer and better place to live."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
