"We Stop Voice Phishing": Gwangju Police Agency's Experiment

First Nationwide Public Service Design Policing Policy
Focused Response to Damages Among the Elderly

Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency will be the first in the nation to introduce 'public service design' into its policing policies. In order to reduce voice phishing damages, citizens, who are the policy recipients, will directly participate from the policy design stage.

Gwangju Police Agency building.

On the 21st, Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had been selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's public service design project support task, and will apply a citizen participation design system to its policing policies. The police plan to focus especially on those aged 60 and above, whose numbers have been rapidly increasing in the Gwangju area, to develop promotional strategies for preventing voice phishing.

Voice phishing is a serious social issue, with over 20,800 cases reported nationwide last year and damages amounting to 854.5 billion KRW. In Gwangju as well, the proportion of voice phishing victims aged 60 and above has been high over the past three years, with 'loan scam type' cases being the most prevalent among them.

To address this, Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency will form a 'Citizen Design Group' consisting of public officials, service designers, and citizens to develop effective prevention measures from the perspective of the elderly. The promotional approach will also shift from the traditional provider-centered method to a demand-centered one, producing customized content that the elderly can relate to in their daily lives.

Commissioner Park Sungju stated, "Voice phishing is a serious crime that threatens people's livelihoods," and added, "We will work hard on prevention activities to make Gwangju a city where citizens can feel safe."