Gwangju CCTV Control Center Captures Serial Vehicle Arsonist

Real-Time Suspect Tracking: Key to Arrest
Protecting Citizen Safety, from Finding Missing Dementia Patients to Emergency Response

The image of the serial arsonist captured by the Gwangju CCTV Integrated Control Center. Provided by Gwangju City

The Gwangju City CCTV Integrated Control Center played a crucial role in capturing a serial vehicle arsonist in the middle of the night by monitoring the incidents in real time and tracking the suspect, which led to his arrest.

On August 21, the Gwangju CCTV Integrated Control Center announced that it had prevented further damage by identifying the suspect and reporting him to the police through real-time monitoring of a series of vehicle arson incidents that occurred late at night on August 20.

The incident began at around 10:50 p.m. on August 20 in a residential alley in Baegun-dong, Nam-gu. Surveillance cameras captured flames suddenly erupting from a parked vehicle in a quiet alley. The control center staff immediately determined that the footage was not of a simple fire but suspected arson, and reported the suspect’s information to the police.

However, the suspect’s crimes did not end there. About one hour and fifty minutes after the first report, at around 12:40 a.m. on August 21, another vehicle caught fire near the Yangnim Police Substation.

The control center immediately reported the incident to 112 and mobilized all nearby CCTV cameras to track the fleeing suspect, a man in his 40s, in real time.

After the pursuit, the suspect was found sitting at a bus stop on Chungjang-ro at 1:14 a.m. on August 21. The control center reported his location to the police, leading to his arrest just 34 minutes after the second arson report.

The Gwangju CCTV Integrated Control Center operates 11,800 cameras at 4,090 locations, monitoring them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition to finding missing elderly dementia patients, the center also reports to 112 when citizens are found collapsed on the road, helping to reunite them with their families.

Kim Gwangsu, head of the Social Disaster Division, said, "We monitor CCTV 24 hours a day for citizen safety, and we are glad to have been able to provide quick assistance in apprehending the arson suspect. We will continue to do our best to ensure that citizens can live safely and with peace of mind anytime and anywhere."