What Is the Secret Behind Zero Accidents in Seongsu-dong Despite 70 Million Annual Visitors?

Safety Management Enhanced with 96 CCTV Cameras and Dedicated Personnel

Seongsu-dong in Seoul is one of the city's most popular hotspots, drawing such large crowds on weekends that it becomes difficult to even find space to walk. With a surge in foreign tourists and visitors to pop-up stores, congestion levels have been steadily rising. However, over the past year, there has not been a single casualty caused by crowd surges in the Yeonmujang-gil area.

Crowd management officers are managing the crowd on Yeonmujang-gil in Seongsu-dong. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

According to Seongdong-gu on January 26, the number of visitors to Seongsu-dong increased by 52%, from approximately 46 million in 2020 to about 70 million in 2024. The district has identified this increase in visitors as a risk factor for accidents and has focused on preventing crowd-related incidents by managing crowd flows in real time.

The district has deployed 96 out of 100 intelligent crowd-detection CCTV cameras throughout the Seongsu-dong area, monitoring them around the clock. If congestion occurs in certain sections, immediate dispersal is encouraged through speaker announcements. Five temporary workers dedicated to crowd safety management are assigned to patrol the area at all times, directly maintaining order on site if pedestrian flow is blocked or unusual situations arise.

Pop-up stores are also a key focus of management. Last year, there were a total of 883 pop-up store events in the Seongsu-dong area, with repeated surges in crowds due to celebrity invitation events. The district has established a system in cooperation with the Seongdong Police Station to receive advance information on security personnel deployment whenever a celebrity visit is scheduled.

Measures to reduce congestion itself are also being implemented. On Yeonmujang-gil, a mixed-use road for both vehicles and pedestrians, the "Seongdong-style Pedestrian Safety Zone" is operated to restrict vehicle access. This year, the number of operations will be increased to 78, with vehicle entry controlled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Real-time congestion information is provided via kiosks, electronic displays, and the YouTube channel "Seongsu Live," allowing visitors to adjust their travel times accordingly.

During peak crowd periods such as Halloween and Christmas, an on-site situation room is set up and a large number of professional security personnel are deployed to strengthen order management. Efforts are also being made to improve the pedestrian environment by cracking down on illegal parking and removing obstacles from walkways.

Jung Wonoh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "The more popular a place is, the more accidents are not a matter of chance but of preparation," adding, "We will continue to strengthen on-site safety management to maintain Seongsu-dong's vibrancy while keeping the number of crowd-related accidents at zero."

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