Seoul City Launches Safety Village Security Guards in 15 Districts with High Concentration of Single-Person Households

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 20th that starting from the 21st, it will begin the activities of the Seoul City Safe Village Security Guards in 15 districts within Seoul to protect the nighttime safety of single-person households.

After a 60-day pilot project last year, this full-scale project launched this year is part of the safety support measures addressing the five major anxieties (safety, illness, poverty, loneliness, housing) faced by single-person households. The Safe Village Security Guards patrol the neighborhood alleys in pairs during late-night hours (weekdays from 9 PM to 2:30 AM the next day), acting as guardians to check for emergencies or crimes.

There are times when one feels vague fear or anxiety when returning home alone late at night. According to the '2021 Seoul Single-Person Household Living Conditions and Policy Demand Survey' conducted in June 2021, 62.6% of single-person households responded that they feel ‘afraid’ when walking alone through neighborhood alleys at night.

Starting this year, Safe Village Security Guards are deployed in locations where citizens need them. A total of 63 excellent security guards were selected, including former police officers (8), former military officers (3), and black belts in Taekwondo, Judo, and other martial arts (13), to enhance the perceived safety of single-person households at night.

First, to select the 15 activity zones, the method was changed from selecting only through district applications to also accepting applications from citizens, including single-person households who are the direct beneficiaries of the Safe Village Security Guard activities. From January 27 this year, applications were accepted for 18 days through the Seoul City Single-Person Household Portal, resulting in requests from citizens and districts to operate Safe Village Security Guards in a total of 71 locations.

Also, unlike last year when temporary workers were hired by district, this year a professional security company was selected to enhance the expertise of the Safe Village Security Guard activities, effectively managing the entire process including patrol course selection, guard recruitment, training, operation, and management. In selecting patrol courses, a technique called Multi-Layered Risk Assessment was applied, selecting safety-vulnerable areas by considering the likelihood of crime occurrence, impact of damage, residences of sex offenders, CCTV distribution, etc., and ensuring these areas are included in the patrol routes.

Furthermore, considering the nature of Safe Village Security Guards patrolling narrow alleys late at night, measures were implemented to increase the effectiveness of the project and ensure the safety of the guards. Residents familiar with the local area were prioritized for selection due to narrow patrol courses, and to improve emergency response capabilities and ensure a safe and effective project, district-specific managers were appointed, electronic work management was implemented, dedicated uniforms and safety equipment were provided, and rest areas were established for each district.

Meanwhile, with the cooperation of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the supplementary budget for Seoul City secured the necessary funds to carry out the Safe Village Security Guard project until the end of the year, enabling continuous efforts to ensure nighttime safety for single-person households in the 15 districts. Lee Hae-seon, head of the Seoul City Single-Person Household Special Measures Promotion Team, said, “The Safe Village Security Guard project is aimed at protecting the nighttime safety of single-person households and other citizens. We will leverage the capabilities of professional security companies and continuously expand the security guard project to places where citizens need it, becoming a reliable safety guardian for single-person households who fear walking alone at night.”

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