"Oh, the CCTV is watching over there"... 'Social Problem Solver' vs 'Big Brother' [Founding Project - Distrust Society and CCTV①]

The Era of 'CCTV Overflow'
Public CCTV Numbers More Than Doubled in the Last 4 Years
Private CCTV and Car Black Boxes Combined Are Even More
Essential in Modern Society for Crime Prevention and Facility Monitoring
9 out of 10 Citizens Trust CCTV's Crime Prevention Effect
Side Effects Include Illegal Worker Surveillance and Privacy Invasion

In October last year, a security closed-circuit television (CCTV) was installed in an alley in Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do. / Photo by Yonhap News

Editor's NoteA society where trust is disappearing. As time passes, the phenomenon of people across various social strata being unable to trust each other is intensifying. Although the country has achieved rapid economic growth at an unprecedented global pace, the economic prosperity, which is distinctly different from the past, has not played a role in washing away mutual distrust. Therefore, many argue that more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras should be installed to closely monitor every corner of society. Recently, incidents such as the death of Son Jeong-min, who was drinking with friends by the Han River, and occasional accidents in daycare centers and operating rooms have strengthened calls for expanding CCTV installation. However, there are also considerable voices cautioning that CCTV does not only serve positive roles like resolving unjust situations or preventing crimes. It can pose a threat as a 'Big Brother' that indiscriminately invades privacy and monitors individuals in real time. On the occasion of its 33rd anniversary, we present various voices from the field regarding CCTV in our society.

[Asia Economy Reporters Lim Ju-hyung, Kim So-young, Kim Cho-young] #Last February, six childcare teachers and a director at a daycare center in Incheon were sent to the prosecution for habitual abuse of 10 kindergarten children, including children with disabilities. The violent acts committed by these teachers over two months starting from November last year were fully captured on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed in the daycare center. The teachers were found to have committed cruel acts such as spraying water with a sprayer on a child with autism, grabbing the child's hair, and hitting the face with their hands, sparking public outrage.

#According to the civic group 'Workplace Gapjil 119,' which exposes labor rights violations in workplaces, dozens of reports related to CCTV surveillance were received during the first half of last year. In the cases of workplace abuse disclosed by this group, employees were monitored for every move by CCTV installed in offices and were even reprimanded for taking breaks during lunch hours.

We are truly living in an 'era of CCTV overflow.' From public institutions to homes, daycare centers, and black boxes installed inside cars, millions of camera lenses are following citizens. The purposes of CCTV are very diverse. They are used to understand situations at crime scenes or track suspects, as well as installed for monitoring offices and public facilities. This is why CCTV is considered essential for protecting public safety and property in our complex modern society.

◆Number of Public CCTV Doubled in Four Years... Overflowing CCTV

According to the national 'Administrative and Autonomy Statistical Yearbook,' the number of CCTVs installed in public institutions was about 1.48 million in 2019. This is more than double compared to 730,000 units in 2015, meaning there is approximately one CCTV for every 34 citizens. When adding CCTVs installed in various private facilities and black boxes inside vehicles, the number increases exponentially. We are literally living in the midst of a 'flood of CCTV.'

Today, although CCTV is used for various purposes, the main objectives of CCTV installed in public institutions are crime prevention (51.6%) and facility safety and fire prevention (43.8%).

High-performance CCTV monitoring the road / Photo by Yonhap News

Extensive installation and operation of CCTV have proven highly effective in apprehending offenders in the act and preventing crimes. According to the Daejeon Police Agency in March, about 2,300 incidents captured by CCTV occurred in Daejeon over the past three years, and among these, the police apprehended suspects in the act in about 250 cases.

Citizens also show high satisfaction with CCTV. According to a 2019 study by the Korea Institute of Criminology titled 'Study on the Operation Status and Improvement Measures of Public CCTV for Crime Prevention,' about 89% (1,780 respondents) answered that "CCTV is effective in preventing crime." Additionally, six out of ten respondents said they wished more public CCTV would be installed in their neighborhoods.

◆Seoul City to Monitor All Private Construction Sites via CCTV

CCTV is now spreading actively across various sectors of society. Seoul City has decided to actively utilize CCTV to prevent accidents like the Gwangju building collapse disaster, which caused 17 casualties.

Seoul City plans to build a construction site information system linked with CCTV that allows all situations at private construction sites to be checked at a glance even via smartphones. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon explained, "With this system, it will be possible to monitor in real time via smartphone whether workers are wearing protective gear, entering hazardous areas, or complying with safety rules." This system is scheduled for a pilot project in the second half of the year and official release in March next year.

CCTV is also commonly seen inside childcare facilities. Since the amendment of the Infant Care Act in September 2015, installing CCTV inside daycare centers has been mandatory. In 2019, an additional amendment was passed allowing parents to view CCTV footage without excessive costs if child abuse is suspected.

Some criticize that CCTV installed inside daycare centers can be used as a surveillance tool infringing on childcare teachers' privacy. However, it is also true that CCTV has greatly helped resolve abuse cases occurring inside childcare facilities. For example, during the 'Incheon Seo-gu Daycare Center Habitual Abuse Case' last year, the abuse by teachers was identified through CCTV footage.

CCTVs installed in the workplace were sometimes used to monitor and harass employees, causing controversy. / Photo by Yonhap News

As a result, CCTV is being discussed as a solution to various social problems. There is a growing call to mandate CCTV installation in hospital operating rooms following controversies over illegal surrogate surgeries.

In August last year, a petition urging the installation of CCTV in operating rooms was posted on the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) website and quickly surpassed the official response threshold of 200,000 signatures. Recent public opinion polls also showed overwhelming support for mandatory CCTV in operating rooms. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute on behalf of Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) from the 28th to 29th of last month, 80.1% of 1,004 adult men and women nationwide supported installing CCTV in operating rooms.

During the incident involving university student Son Jeong-min (22), who went missing and was found dead at Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul, controversy arose over the number of CCTVs in the park. Critics argued that the relatively insufficient number of CCTVs compared to the large number of visitors made it difficult to prevent incidents and accidents.

However, CCTV installation does not always lead to positive outcomes. Cases of workers being monitored and harassed through workplace-installed CCTV have sparked controversy.

According to 'Workplace Gapjil 119' on July 8 last year, over 100 cases of illegal CCTV surveillance were reported to the organization from November 2017 to 2020. Some workers suffered from panic disorders due to continuous monitoring and harassment, and some experienced cystitis because they could not properly use restrooms.

Experts advise that while installing CCTV for public safety and facility security is natural, illegal misuse must be prevented.

A representative from the progressive civic group Network Center for Information Rights said, "CCTV has been installed in public institutions and streets for crime prevention and facility safety, but recently it has become widespread enough to be used in general workplaces. The problem is that many companies or organizations installing and using CCTV do not comply with the Personal Information Protection Act, leading to side effects such as illegal worker surveillance."

They added, "While CCTV installation is justified for facility safety or fire prevention, it is necessary to obtain workers' consent before installation, implement security measures to prevent unauthorized third-party viewing, and the government should actively supervise these matters."