1st Anniversary of Itaewon Tragedy... Seoul City to Establish Intelligent Disaster Safety System

'Inpa Gamji System' to Be Fully Operational Starting Halloween

Seoul City announced on the 12th that it has reviewed the key tasks of the 'Seoul Disaster Safety System Enhancement Promotion Strategy' ahead of the first anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy. In addition, it stated that it is preparing thorough safety management measures in cooperation with related organizations such as autonomous districts, police, and fire departments regarding large-scale crowded events like Halloween.

First, Seoul City decided to introduce an intelligent people counting system. This system is a crowd detection system that automatically detects crowd congestion and alerts warning signs through CCTV, and it will be fully operational starting this Halloween. By connecting analysis software to crowd detection CCTV that automatically measures the number of people per unit area, when crowd congestion is detected, the situation is transmitted and shared with the autonomous district disaster safety situation room - Seoul City - fire department - police.

To improve disaster response efficiency, the city first significantly strengthened the functions and personnel of the disaster safety situation room. The team level was elevated to a division level, and the number of situation management personnel was nearly doubled (from 11 to 20). In addition, a system linkage that synchronizes the 119 situation room and the Seoul City disaster situation room 100% like twins was established, enabling rapid disaster situation management and response. The expertise of personnel was also enhanced. Experienced firefighting professionals were assigned to the city situation room to enable swift initial response and situation assessment, improving the organization and personnel.

The manuals managed by disaster type were also greatly simplified into one volume. The 'Basic Disaster Response Manual,' applicable to all disasters regardless of type, was completed in July and applied to various drills conducted this year to verify its practicality. Various types of practical drills were also conducted to enhance the real-world response capabilities of field personnel.

Detection and action against illegal buildings in crowded commercial areas were also carried out. To prevent crowd accidents in areas densely packed with commercial facilities, special inspections of illegal buildings in crowded areas were conducted by autonomous districts from November last year to May this year. In 75 zones including Sinchon Station and Hongdae Entrance, 2,611 violations of illegal construction and unauthorized storage threatening citizens' safety were detected and addressed.

At the same time, Seoul City and each district jointly prepared Halloween safety management measures. Pre-event and on-the-day joint inspections by the city and districts are conducted, and practical drills assuming crowd congestion before the event are carried out to check the cooperation system of related organizations. The newly introduced 'crowd detection system' will also be fully utilized. In this regard, on the 17th, a joint meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, Seoul Police Agency, Fire and Disaster Headquarters, and others will be held to comprehensively review detailed measures of related organizations. Subsequently, from the 23rd, joint inspections by the city, autonomous districts, and related organizations will be conducted in six areas where crowd congestion is expected.

Meanwhile, Seoul City will conduct virtual pre-drills based on the principle that training guarantees safety. A practical drill simulating a crowd congestion accident will be conducted at 'Kondae Mat-ui Street' near Konkuk University Station. This drill will be conducted jointly with Gwangjin District, police, and fire departments to preliminarily check in practice whether the cooperation system of related organizations through the crowd detection system operates promptly and to quickly supplement any deficiencies.

Yoo Chang-soo, Deputy Mayor for Administration of Seoul City, stated, “The Seoul intelligent disaster safety system was built by mobilizing the experience and expertise of districts, fire departments, and police centered on the city,” and emphasized, “Unlike last year, we will prioritize safety management above all to ensure that not a single injury occurs this Halloween.”