Busan Becomes First Metropolitan City to Receive Third International Safe City Certification, Advancing as a Global Safe City

Busan has become the first metropolitan city to be designated as an 'International Safe Community' for three consecutive times.

The city has received its third official certification as an International Safe Community from the International Safe Community Certifying Center (ISCCC).

Busan Metropolitan City Confirmed as the First International Safe City in a Metropolitan Area for the Third Certification.

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The 'International Safe Community Certification' is an international recognition that a city is actively and continuously working to reduce injuries from accidents and to promote safety within the community. The ISCCC, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, certifies a city's safety every five years through a series of evaluations.

Busan was first certified as an International Safe Community in 2014, becoming the first metropolitan city in Korea to receive this recognition. The city was recertified in 2019, and with this third certification, Busan has been acknowledged as a truly global safe city with a solid safety foundation and capabilities.

For this third certification, the ISCCC conducted a thorough on-site assessment of the city. The assessment took place over two days, from the 25th to the 26th, at the Busan City Hotel Convention Hall, and included both in-person and online evaluations by international judges.

The evaluation team was led by Reza Mohammadi, Chair of the ISCCC, along with Guldbrand Skjenberg and Lu Pai, who participated online from abroad. Domestically, over 30 organizations, including the city's Citizen Safety Office and related departments, district and county offices, and private sector experts, took part in the assessment.

The assessment covered seven areas: ▲Comprehensive Report ▲Injury Surveillance System ▲Traffic Safety ▲Prevention of Elderly Falls ▲Suicide Prevention ▲Violence and Crime Prevention ▲Best Practices. The city's presentations and Q&A sessions evaluated whether its achievements, such as establishing public-private governance and protecting vulnerable groups, met the certification criteria through meticulous review.

Particularly, since 2011, Busan has operated a dedicated research institute, the International Safe Community Research Center, publishing annual injury statistics and establishing a scientific injury surveillance system. The city also formed and managed the Safe City Council, composed of safety experts from various fields, and invested a total of 2.54 billion won in 138 safety promotion projects. These efforts to prevent injuries and foster an advanced safety culture received high praise from the evaluation team.

As a result, over the past decade (2013-2022), the injury-related mortality rate in Busan has decreased by 11.9%, and economic losses have been reduced by 423.4 billion won.

Furthermore, Lee Joonseung, the Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs, attended all assessment sessions, highlighting the city's achievements and capabilities, which played a significant role in securing the third certification.

Following this third certification, Busan will complete the official registration process with the ISCCC in August and hold an 'International Safe Community Third Certification Proclamation Ceremony' at BEXCO in Busan in September.

The proclamation ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 'Korea Safety Industry Expo' at the same venue.

Evaluation team leader Reza Mohammadi stated in his overall review, "The safety promotion projects implemented by Busan meet the standards for International Safe Community certification. In particular, the high level of citizen participation and the scientifically advanced urban safety management, such as the Integrated Urban Flood Information System presented as a best practice, are very impressive."

Mayor Park Hyungjoon said, "I am very pleased that our efforts over the past five years to promote local safety have resulted in international recognition. We will continue to pursue safety promotion projects with our citizens and ensure that the enhanced urban safety is felt by all through initiatives such as the construction of national safety experience facilities."

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