"113,000 CCTVs Are Watching"... Seoul Detects 358 Suspected Drug-Related Activities

CCTV Network in Seoul Mobilizes 300 Monitoring Staff
Concentration of Cases in Seocho and Gangnam, Making Up Nearly Half of Total
City Detects and Blocks Drug-Related Posts Online

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has detected 358 suspected drug-related activities through CCTV monitoring over the past two years. This result was achieved by utilizing a total of 113,273 CCTV cameras throughout Seoul to track drug crimes that have infiltrated everyday life in nightlife districts, university areas, and residential neighborhoods.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on August 18, the number of suspected drug-related activities by year was 141 cases in the second half of 2023 (with 12 arrests), 153 cases in 2024 (with 14 arrests), and 64 cases in the first half of 2025 (with 10 arrests).

By region, Seocho District (111 cases) and Gangnam District (63 cases) accounted for 174 cases, making up 48.6% of the total. The main locations where 36 individuals were arrested were near residential areas (12 cases) and on roads or in vehicles (13 cases), together accounting for 69% of the total, indicating that these incidents are closely distributed in everyday spaces.

To enable 24-hour real-time monitoring of drug-related crimes, the Seoul Metropolitan Government regularly provides practical training to 322 CCTV monitoring personnel to help them identify suspicious drug-related behavior. In the second half of the year, the city plans to increase the number of training sessions to strengthen its response to drug crimes across the city. The training is conducted with the cooperation of the prosecution, with actual investigators from the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office delivering lectures. Since 2023, six training sessions have been held through this method.

Recent field experiences have been incorporated into the training, including cases where individuals conceal their faces with masks and loiter while entering and exiting buildings, methods involving disguising as delivery workers to conduct "throwing" deliveries, and instances where teenagers skip classes to participate in such activities. Monitoring personnel who have completed the training are now able to sharply detect behaviors that lead to sales, drug use, and secondary crimes.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to establish a proactive response system in light of the increasingly covert methods of drug distribution and the decreasing age of drug users. This includes specialized training for CCTV monitoring personnel, the introduction of intelligent CCTV systems, online distribution network monitoring, and commendations for personnel who contribute to combating drug crimes.

Monitoring of drug-related crimes is also being conducted in online spaces. Since January of last year, the city has detected and requested the blocking of 10,621 drug-related posts on social media and portal sites, actively working to block the recent trend of non-face-to-face drug distribution. Of the blocked posts, more than half-51.7% (5,494 cases)-involved distributors inducing drug purchases through advertisements on specific social media channels.

Kang Jinyong, Director of the Health and Medical Policy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "As drugs are becoming a serious social issue threatening not only individuals but society as a whole, we are operating a comprehensive response system from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation, alongside real-time CCTV surveillance. The surveillance network involving citizens is the strongest line of defense, so we ask everyone to report any signs of drug-related risks they notice in daily life to help strengthen our response."

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