Seoul Police Inspect School Route Hazards; Commissioner and Chiefs Lead the Initiative

"Student Safety On-site Inspection Day" Launched

To strengthen the safety of students on their way home from school, the police have launched a large-scale on-site inspection campaign across Seoul that involves both law enforcement and the local community. The police plan to directly identify safety risks around schools and along school routes, gather feedback from students and parents, and link these efforts to facility improvements, ultimately working to enhance students' sense of safety.

On May 19, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is conducting the "Student Safety On-site Inspection Day" simultaneously across the city during dismissal hours at elementary, middle, and high schools. Jungbo Park, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, along with the chiefs of 31 police stations and 243 local precincts in Seoul, will personally visit schools and school routes to inspect the actual paths students take. A total of 5,110 police officers and 2,430 community safety partners are participating.

Jungbo Park, Commissioner of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The police will check for safety hazards throughout students' daily environments, including school routes, areas with cram schools, bus stops, and residential alleys. In addition to existing public safety cooperation groups such as voluntary crime prevention patrols and the Community Safety Council, newly designated community-based safety partners—such as letter carriers from the Seoul Regional Postal Service, Fresh Managers from hy (Korea Yakult), and Taekwondo instructors from the Seoul Taekwondo Association, all of whom recently signed business agreements—are also participating.

On the afternoon of May 19, Jungbo Park, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will personally inspect the area around Seonil Girls' Middle and High School in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Within a 500-meter radius of this area, there are seven schools and 4,293 students, making it densely populated. The area is adjacent to Yeonsinnae Rodeo Street and neighborhoods with a high concentration of multi-family housing, causing student movement routes to branch out in various directions.

Commissioner Park will walk the area to identify blind spots in surveillance cameras and security lighting. He will use drones to monitor students' routes home from school in three dimensions and examine vulnerabilities around schools. Additionally, in front of the school gates, he will meet students directly to hear about locations and areas they find unsafe or believe require more patrols. He will also distribute leaflets outlining how to report dangerous areas and request patrols.

The police plan to make this Student Safety On-site Inspection Day a regular monthly initiative, rather than a one-time event. They are also considering expanding the program—tentatively named "Seoul Safety Re-Design Day"—to include safety checks of school routes during the day and on-site inspections focusing on areas vulnerable to basic order violations and crime prevention at night.

A representative of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said, "We will make sure to patrol and improve any locations where students and parents feel unsafe, in order to protect student safety."

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