Seongdong-gu Establishes Disaster Situation Information Website for Typhoons and Heavy Snowfall

[Seoul District News] Seongdong-gu Enables Real-Time Access to Weather Alerts, Traffic Controls, Emergency Medical Info, and District Actions During Disaster Headquarters Setup ... Gwanak-gu Installs 421 CCTV LED Signboards Using Crime Prevention Environmental Design Techniques at 269 Locations ... Dongdaemun-gu Advances ‘2023 Village Bus Route Improvement Study’ to Create Resident-Friendly Traffic Environment & Establishes Route System Reflecting Urban and Traffic Changes from Housing Redevelopment and Reconstruction Projects ... SB Global Healthcare Donates KF94 Masks to Nowon-gu

Implementation of the 'Seongdong-gu Disaster Safety Situation Information Website'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “When heavy snow falls, a comprehensive disaster situation information guidance system operates on the Seongdong-gu Office website.”

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it has developed a disaster situation information website where related information can be comprehensively viewed during disasters such as typhoons and heavy snow, and began full-scale operation from the 1st.

When heavy rain damage occurred throughout Seoul last August, residents had to individually search and check real-time weather information on the Korea Meteorological Administration website, traffic control status on the Traffic Information Center website, and emergency measures on the Seongdong-gu Office website, causing inconvenience.

In response, Seongdong-gu developed and established a ‘Comprehensive Disaster Situation Information Website’ where disaster-related information can be viewed at a glance.

The page gathers various information in one place, including weather warnings, safety alert text message dispatch records, traffic information, Seongdong-gu’s measures and major CCTV footage, and emergency medical information. Additional information is linked to each institution’s website for detailed checking.

This system is immediately operated through the Seongdong-gu Office website when the district’s Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is formed due to major disasters, wind and flood damage, or snow removal.

An official from the district said, “We provide timely information tailored to situations such as heatwaves, heavy rain, cold waves, heavy snow, earthquakes, yellow dust, and infectious diseases to prevent damage in advance and comprehensively resolve residents’ questions about disaster response status.” He also said that the website will be enhanced to build a comprehensive portal covering all disaster-related information by June next year.

Along with providing disaster information, Seongdong-gu monitors every corner of the district in real time through 3,959 CCTVs in the integrated operation center on the 5th floor of the district office to prepare for sudden accidents. For ‘overcrowding accidents’ that occur when many people gather momentarily, such as large-scale festivals, prediction is most important.

The district plans to strengthen 24-hour CCTV monitoring at the center and maintain close cooperation with related organizations such as the police and fire stations.

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, “Through the operation of the disaster situation information website, residents can quickly and conveniently check various disaster information and measures,” adding, “We will continue to actively discover administrative data to provide useful information tailored to disaster situations and fulfill our role as guardians protecting residents’ lives and safety.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is installing ‘CCTV LED Guide Signs’ that notify when CCTV and emergency bells are operating to prevent crime and build a safe city infrastructure.

Gwanak-gu operates a total of 5,371 CCTVs at 1,627 locations, with emergency bells installed at 1,116 locations. The emergency bells are connected to the Gwanak-gu Smart Control Center, and when the emergency bell button is pressed in an emergency, the on-duty control officer reports to 112, and police officers promptly dispatch to the scene to efficiently respond to crimes.

To compensate for the fact that CCTV and emergency bells are not easily visible at night, the district is installing ‘CCTV LED Guide Signs’ equipped with LEDs to prevent crimes in advance and allow immediate use in emergencies, which is expected to be effective in preventing the recently increasing stalking crimes.

The LED guide signs apply the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) technique, which improves the design of crime-prone areas to psychologically and physically block crime opportunities. The ‘CCTV Operating’ message flashes in two colors: yellow during normal times and red during emergencies.

After the initial installation of the LED guide signs, a safety and preference survey conducted among residents showed positive responses of 65% for CCTV awareness and 54% for crime prevention effectiveness, indicating that the LED guide signs effectively alleviate pedestrians’ psychological anxiety at night.

The district plans to select 269 locations such as residential safety zones, women’s safe return paths, and child protection zones designated by the Seoul Gwanak Police Station, which are dark and sparsely populated alleys, and complete the installation of 421 LED guide signs on CCTV and emergency bells by December.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Since the LED guide sign installation using the CPTED technique is effective, we will reflect residents’ opinions on design and location selection and expand the ‘CCTV LED Guide Sign’ installation project,” adding, “We will do our best to realize a crime-free safe city where residents can walk with peace of mind.”

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is undertaking a reorganization of village bus routes to create a resident-friendly traffic environment.

In response to increased complaints about village bus operations due to business deterioration and driver shortages caused by COVID-19, the district is conducting the ‘2023 Village Bus Route Reorganization Research Project’ to comprehensively review village bus routes.

Through this project, the current operation status of village bus routes will be reviewed, and a rational route adjustment plan will be derived to operate village buses according to residents’ demand and establish systematic traffic measures.

Based on the research results, a rational route system will be derived and the ‘Village Bus Reorganization 5-Year Roadmap (2022?2026)’ will be established. In 2024, the village bus route adjustment review committee will review the plan and obtain approval from Seoul City.

After Seoul City’s approval, business improvement orders will be issued to three transportation companies operating four Dongdaemun village bus routes (Dongdaemun01, Dongdaemun02, Dongdaemun03, Dongdaemun05) to apply the changed routes.

This route reorganization is expected to establish an efficient village bus route system that reflects changes in urban conditions due to housing redevelopment and reconstruction projects, subway expansion, and the emergence of new transportation means.

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Lee Pil-hyung said, “We will reorganize village bus routes to increase users and create a resident-friendly traffic environment,” adding, “Starting with village bus route reorganization, which is the lifeline for our residents, we will work hard to build advanced future transportation systems such as GTX, Cheongnyangni Station Metropolitan Transfer Center, and drone taxis.”

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that SB Global Healthcare visited the district office at 11 a.m. on the 2nd to deliver Ibana-ri KF94 masks.

SB Global Healthcare had previously donated 100,000 KF94 masks in September. After expressing willingness to provide additional support, they visited the district office again after two months and donated a total of 3 million KF94 masks (worth approximately 2.67 billion KRW).

The district plans to distribute the received masks to 37,014 low-income residents and social welfare facilities in the area.