Seoul City Invests 40 Billion KRW in Three Projects: 'School Security Guards', 'High-Resolution CCTV', and 'School Buses'

'School Security Officers' Assigned to 597 National and Public Elementary and Special Schools
4,090 Low-Resolution CCTVs to Be Fully Replaced with High-Resolution Ones by Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] With the start of the new school term in March, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has completed the deployment of 1,263 school security officers to all public elementary and special schools, responsible for safety inside and outside schools. By next year, all closed-circuit television (CCTV) devices in elementary, middle, and high schools will be replaced with high-resolution models. Additionally, ‘school bus’ operations will be supported for 57 public schools with poor commuting environments.

On the 16th, Seoul announced that it will promote three types of school safety support projects amid ongoing uncertainties in academic schedules due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and rapidly changing quarantine situations. The goal is to support stable academic operations and create safe school lives and commuting routes for students. The city plans to invest a total of 40 billion KRW entirely from city funds.

The three school safety support projects include ▲ deployment and operation of school security officers ▲ full replacement of low-resolution CCTV with high-resolution CCTV ▲ support for school bus operations at public elementary schools with poor commuting conditions. A total of 1,263 school security officers have been deployed to 597 elementary (public) and special schools, which are relatively vulnerable in terms of safety. These dedicated personnel support students’ safe school life by controlling external access, guiding commuting, and preventing school violence at the forefront of schools.

Seoul follows the principle of deploying at least two school security officers per school but operates flexibly by adding one more officer for schools that are vulnerable or large in scale. Although academic operations are currently conducted according to social distancing levels and school situations, the role of school security officers as student protection personnel is expected to become even more important as in-person classes expand. This year, to enhance the operation of school security officers, physical fitness measurement standards have been strengthened, and regular training for professional development will be conducted. A new hiring bonus of 5 points has also been introduced to expand employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged groups.

Furthermore, all low-resolution CCTVs installed in elementary, middle, high, special, and various schools across Seoul will be completely replaced with high-resolution CCTVs by next year. Since high-resolution CCTVs have been confirmed to have a deterrent effect on the occurrence of school violence, the city plans to complete 100% installation to prevent safety accidents and various crimes within schools.

Among the total 42,385 CCTVs installed in schools across Seoul, 4,090 are low-resolution, accounting for 9.6%. Seoul plans to replace 2,045 units each in this year and next year to achieve a 100% installation rate of high-resolution CCTVs by next year. A final selection of 230 schools with a high proportion of outdated CCTVs below 1 million pixels has been made. Support ranging from 3 million to 12 million KRW will be provided differentially based on the number of low-resolution CCTVs per school.

School bus operations will also be supported for 57 public elementary schools with poor commuting environments. Most of these 57 schools are located in areas where large-scale construction is underway on commuting routes, traffic is congested, or the area is sparsely populated, posing significant risks during commuting. This year, the city will provide an average of 66 million KRW per school to cover bus rental fees, driver and accompanying protector wages, and other costs.

Lee Dae-hyun, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Lifelong Education, said, “We are paying special attention to preventing safety accidents so that students starting the March school term amid the COVID-19 situation can attend expanded in-person classes this year. At the same time, we will do our best to create a safe Seoul where parents facing difficulties can entrust their children’s education with greater peace of mind.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.