"Waiting Has Become Easier"... The Greatest Invention at Bus Stops Is Exactly 'This' [Byeolbyeol Administration]

'Smart Shelter' First Introduced by Seongdong-gu, Expanding Across Seoul
Cool in Summer, Warm in Winter While Waiting for the Bus
21 Features Including CCTV and Emergency Bell to Prevent Dating Violence

Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was the first local government in the country to introduce 'Smart Shelter' at bus stops in 2020, and has now increased the number of installation sites to 55. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

It is cool in summer and warm in winter. While waiting for the bus, you can avoid extreme weather conditions such as UV rays, heavy rain, heavy snow, and cold waves. It offers mobile phone charging, public WiFi, bus and subway traffic information, fine dust purification functions, as well as emergency bells and intelligent CCTV installed inside that connect to the control center, effectively preventing crime.

In fact, a woman once used the emergency bell to request help and prevent dating violence. The control center monitoring discovered a citizen who had collapsed inside the shelter and transported them to the hospital, and also found an elderly person with dementia and safely reunited them with their family. Equipped with a defibrillator, it can save precious lives in emergencies on the street.

Many Seoul citizens who use public transportation frequently use and praise this facility, but few know when, who, or under what circumstances it was created. This is the ‘Smart Shelter,’ considered the greatest invention and hit policy of the autonomous districts.

Now an essential space at bus stops, the Smart Shelter was first introduced by Seongdong-gu four years ago. It has since spread throughout Seoul. Seongdong-gu was selected in 2019 for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Smart Town Challenge project, aiming to create a future-oriented smart transportation city centered around Wangsimni, a major transfer hub.

Taking this opportunity, the number of installations has increased annually, starting with 10 locations in 2020, and currently, 55 bus stops in Seongdong-gu have Smart Shelters. Meanwhile, Smart Shelters have expanded to 20 of Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts. Over 200 have been installed citywide. Nationwide, cities such as Gwangmyeong, Suwon, Seongnam, Sejong, Daegu, and Chungju are benchmarking the installation and operation cases of Smart Shelters and promoting their own installations.

It has also received praise overseas. Delegations from New York City, Japan, Chile, and Kazakhstan have visited to tour the facilities. Foreign media such as CNN and Reuters have reported on it extensively. It has won many awards. In July, it was selected as an innovative public sector case by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Collaboration with large corporations is also notable. Although the products are made by small and medium enterprises, LG Electronics joined early in development to support design, functionality, and service development.

The medium-sized Smart Shelter measures 6 meters wide, 2.1 meters deep, with an area of 12.6 square meters (3.8 pyeong), while the small size is 3.7 meters wide, 1.7 meters deep, with an area of 6.3 square meters (1.9 pyeong). Excluding additional construction costs such as electrical and communication work, the production cost is about 100 million KRW for the medium size and 65 million KRW for the small size. Although there are many installation requests, it is difficult to increase the number of shelters all at once. Many bus stops cannot accommodate them due to narrow sidewalks.

There are also operational challenges. Seongdong-gu stated, “Since many people use the shelters, they need to be kept clean and used considerately, but this is not always the case.” As a multi-use facility, users need to maintain manners by not littering or causing disturbances inside.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “The Seongdong-type Smart Shelter is a representative transportation convenience facility of Seongdong-gu and an essential facility for residents’ daily lives,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure that all residents can enjoy a safer and more comfortable daily life through inclusive policies utilizing smart technology.”

Smart shelters provide protection from abnormal weather conditions such as ultraviolet rays, heavy rain, heavy snow, and cold waves while waiting for the bus. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

[Special Administration] Introducing cases and individuals who have improved the quality of public services by presenting new ideas and methods for problem-solving and policy implementation or through proactive and active administration.