Seoul City to Receive 'Administrative Nobel Prize'... World Recognizes 'Digital Sexual Crime Countermeasures'

Awarded the World's Highest Honor in Public Administration, the 'UN Public Service Award'
Mayor Oh Attends Ceremony... The Only One for 'Gender-Equal Public Services'
"Outstanding Integrated Digital Sex Crime Response Policy Inspires the World"

Seoul City’s 'Integrated Response Policy for Digital Sexual Crime,' the first of its kind nationwide aimed at preventing digital sexual crime and supporting victims, has won the grand prize at the 'UN Public Service Awards.' The 'UN Public Service Awards' were established in 2003 by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to raise awareness of the importance of public administration, discover innovative policies, and promote improvements in public administration worldwide. It is often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize of Public Administration.'

On the 23rd, Seoul City announced that Mayor Oh Se-hoon will attend the '2024 UN Public Administration Forum and Public Service Awards Ceremony' held at the Songdo Convensia in Incheon on the morning of the 26th to receive the 'UN Public Service Award.'

The awards ceremony will be attended by about 2,000 people from over 100 countries, including the presenter, UNDESA Deputy Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin, and representatives from the 15 institutions across 12 countries that won the UN Public Service Awards.

Among a total of 400 policies submitted from 73 countries for the 2024 UN Public Service Awards, Seoul City was the only country to receive the grand prize in the category of 'Gender Equality Public Services.' Among the 15 countries (institutions) awarded this year, Seoul City is the only domestic recipient.

Most notably, this award marks Seoul City’s first win in five years since 2019, and it is the only project from South Korea selected among about 20 submissions to the UN. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs stated, "Seoul City’s 'Integrated Response Policy for Digital Sexual Crime' is an exceptionally outstanding policy in the field of gender equality public services. It plays a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will inspire other countries to develop and implement policies related to digital sexual crime response."

Seoul City’s 'Integrated Response Policy for Digital Sexual Crime' is a system that prevents digital sexual crime and strengthens victim support through an integrated response system covering 'prevention - early intervention - victim support - recurrence prevention.' Seoul City operates the nation’s first digital sexual crime prevention education for children and adolescents and has established a reporting window for victims who cannot even tell their parents to report and consult about digital sexual crime. Additionally, victim support has been strengthened through the establishment and operation of the 'Seoul Digital Sexual Crime Safety Support Center' (operated by the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family).

In particular, Seoul has implemented a uniquely differentiated 'Integrated Response Policy for Digital Sexual Crime' that cannot be found in other countries. To support victims of digital sexual crime, a one-stop support system has been established that provides counseling, legal and psychological treatment, and medical support all through a single phone call. Furthermore, by developing AI (artificial intelligence)-based technology, faster and more accurate deletion support is provided. In addition, through the development of AI deletion support technology for digital sexual crime, harmful videos on various social media platforms are automatically detected 24 hours a day, enabling faster removal of videos and prevention of redistribution.

Mayor Oh said, "Protecting the safety of Seoul citizens is the most important responsibility of the mayor," and added, "I am deeply honored that the UN has recognized Seoul City’s efforts, and we will devote all our efforts to creating a 'Safe City Seoul' where every citizen can feel secure."

Meanwhile, from the 24th for three days, Seoul City will operate a promotional booth for the UN Public Service Award-winning policy on-site. In addition to introducing Seoul City’s 'Integrated Response Policy for Digital Sexual Crime,' visitors will be able to experience the 'AI Facial Recognition-Based Age Prediction Program' to enhance understanding of Seoul City’s AI digital sexual crime monitoring system.