Language:
Search
 
u-Seoul Child Safety System
Ubiquitous City Promotion Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government

The Problem

Korean society currently faces a growing number of crimes against children. According to data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the number of child sexual abuse cases rose from 139 in 2009 to 146 in 2010 (Jan. ~ Oct.) and the number of missing children under 14 is increasing by 10 percent every year.

Unfortunately, however, little improvement has been made to protect children against such crimes mainly due to the lack of a comprehensive system to prevent child-related crimes and make a prompt respond. This, understandably, has increased a feeling of insecurity among all citizens, not just parents, and has ultimately led to public distrust of the government.

Seoul City has installed CCTVs in school zones and near elementary schools as a major means to prevent traffic accidents and school violence. However, it has been pointed out that CCTVs are not effective enough to prevent crimes against children from occurring near elementary schools. Moreover, the crime response system is still not satisfactory enough to meet the rising demands for security.


As a result, it has become imperative that a new environment be created in which children, as a social minority group, can be protected and their parents can be assured of their children’s safety. With this in mind, Seoul City decided to build a basic social safety network system that would allow parents to check their children’s safety during their daily activities, such as going to and from school, and to track their children’s location in the event of an emergency.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
With the urgent need for a system that can protect children from being kidnapped, going missing and sexual crimes, which are now recognized as serious social issues, Seoul City began to develop to system that make Seoul a safe city with the inauguration of Oh Se-hoon as the new Mayor of Seoul in 2006. As a result, Seoul City created children safety zones by applying ubiquitous technology in major areas near schools and developed seven emergency and routine services.

The routine services include a location-based service that allows parents to track the exact location of their children at any time, while the emergency service includes a SMS alarm service that alerts parents when their children approach dangerous areas and an electronic tag emergency call service and emergency bell services for children in danger. Seoul City also developed the GPS-based safety service, which uses the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) contained in a cell phone for children with a cell phone or electronic tags for children without a cell phone.

Seoul City also utilized existing CCTVs to provide location and video information for effective crime prevention and emergency rescues, which serve as examples of Seoul City’s innovative and creative public services. It is especially noteworthy that Seoul City built an economical and reliable system by utilizing its IT resources (information communications network, Data Center, Integrated Security Control Center, etc.) and developed a standard service model through thorough technical verification. In Aug. 2010, the u-Seoul Child Safety System that had been installed around two elementary schools in 2009 received 4.3 out of 5 in the efficacy test conducted by the Telecommunications Technology Association.

With this as the basis, Seoul City created a “u-Children Safety Zone” around Seoul Forest, in 2008 and two elementary schools, including Sindorim Elementary School, in 2009 and five elementary schools, including Myeonmok Elementary School, in 2010, which have benefitted some 2,200 children. This safety service has assured parents that their children are protected from a variety of child-related crimes and, furthermore, that the government is creating a safe society. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the number of crimes against children, such as sexual assault and kidnapping, sharply dropped from an average of two cases a month before the service to 1.2 after the launch of the service. This represents a 40% decrease. Considering the fact that overall crime rates in Seoul increased 13.9% during the same period, this service has proven to be highly effective.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The u-Seoul Child Safety System development project was created based on the ideas suggested by Do Changu and Kang Seongmo, two officials from the Seoul City Information System Planning Bureau. The project was supported by Mayor Oh Se-hoon who determined to make Seoul a safe city for children.

With the mayor’s strong commitment, the Seoul City Information System Planning Bureau reviewed the budget estimate, technological issues and the ideas suggested by private companies such as mobile service operators and private companies to form a cooperative system that involved the local districts and relevant organizations, including the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the National Police Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency.


It was the Safety Committee of the u-Seoul Forum - launched in June 2008 - that pushed ahead with the u-Seoul Child Safety System with the support of the mayor. Comprised of 17 members dispatched from businesses, universities and research institutes, the committee served as a think tank for ideas concerning the protection of children. The City also received advice from the 41-member Children’s Safety Advisor Group.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
Seoul City launched the u-Seoul Child Safety System with the aim of creating a safe environment for children through the application of USN, GPS and CDMA technologies in a safety system model that utilizes CCTVs. Such a system, it was then proposed, would be expanded to provide safety service of seniors and people with disabilities. In so doing, the City intends to spread the standard service model nationwide and, ultimately, establish a ubiquitous social safety network system across the nation.

In order to draw positive responses from citizens, Seoul City had to build a child safety system that was innovative, efficient, technologically feasible, sustainable, economical, and yet indispensable for citizens, including children. Also, the City had to aggressively advertise the system to raise the public awareness.

As part of its strategy to build an economical system, Seoul City utilized the existing CCTVs and other wired and wireless infrastructure and formed partnerships with schools and the relevant local districts. Also, it collaborated with the National Emergency Management Agency, the National Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to establish an emergency rescue system. For wider public recognition, Seoul City utilized broadcast advertisements in the subway, Internet broadcasting, radio broadcasting through the Seoul Traffic Broadcasting station, electric sign boards and direct mail advertising.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Seoul City formulated the plan to build the u-Seoul Integrated Safety System in Jan. 2009 and the u-Seoul Safety Zone Expansion Plan in Jan. 2010. With these plans and public suggestions as the basis, Seoul City then developed the u-Seoul Child Safety System.

Since January 2008, the City has reviewed the diverse proposals it has received from private companies including mobile network operators with the Youth Division and the Seoul Emergency Operations Center, while discussing a possible reduction in the charges for the Child Safety Service and improving the accuracy of the cell phone location tracking service with mobile communications businesses. Internally, the City established an integrated database concerning the locations and specifications of the installed CCTVs.

In Apr. 2008, the City established the “u-Seoul Child Safety System Development Plan” and secured the funding for system building, operation and advertising. In May 2008, the Internet portal site “The Safe World of Children” was opened to provide a communications channel with the public. ‘The Safe World of Children’ is a website which provides information on how to cope with emergencies, such as kidnappings, traffic accidents or fires. The site also helped raise people’s awareness of the “u-Seoul Child Safety System”.

The City, utilizing ZigBee technology, built a safety zone in Seoul Forest Park, a favorite destination for field trips from Oct. 2008 to Jan. 2009. And, the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) tested and verified the technical feasibility of the system.

Based on the test results, Seoul City established the u-Seoul Safety Zone in areas close to Sindorim in Guro-gu and Sinhak Elementary School in Dobong-gu in Oct. 2009. The system was introduced in Myeonmok Elementary School in Jungnang-gu, Sangshin Elementary School in Eunpyeong-gu, Seogyo Elementary School in Mapo-gu, Daedong Elementary School in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Nampyeong Elementary School in Yangcheon-gu, particularly on the paths frequented by children, in Oct. 2010. This has benefitted some 2,200 school children.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
It took much time and effort for Seoul City to establish a cooperative system with the relevant project partners, such as schools, the police and fire departments, district offices and mobile communications operators, who had their own ideas and demands. As such, the City was under tremendous pressure to develop the world’s first mobile USIM card that featured a built-in electronic tag, within the time constraint.

Stressing the need to build a public safety net for children, Seoul City urged its partners for an active participation. At the same time, the City reviewed its policy goals and core technologies to cut down on the associated risks through thorough field tests in collaboration with the participants.

Starting in 2011, Seoul City plans to expand the project to include the whole city and cover every socially vulnerable class by utilizing its relevant partnerships, test-proven technology and standard service model.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Thanks to the financial and technological support of mobile service operators, and the public-private partnership, Seoul City was able to launch a mobile service program for child safety that was affordable for users and improved on the accuracy of the mobile location service for emergency rescues in 2008. The city then injected roughly KRW 1.5 billion to cover the completion of the u-Seoul Child Safety System in Seoul Forest Park and the areas around seven elementary schools during the 2008 to 2010 period. The budget was spent on the construction of a wireless communications network, the development of terminals (electronic tags and the USIM card) and software and the purchase of hardware (LBS server and CCTV server).
The u-Infrastructure Team of the Ubiquitous City Promotion Division supervised the system building project and operation of the system. The Seoul Forest Management Office mobilized a workforce to support the creation of a Child Safety Zone, while each of the seven elementary schools and the relevant district offices collaborated for the construction a u-Seoul Child Safety System around the school.

Seoul City collaborated with local districts for system operation. It also established a collaborative system with the Seoul Emergency Operations Center and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to ensure prompt emergency services.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
A consistent input of financial resources for the maintenance and expansion of the safety system to cover more areas and more people is essential in ensuring its sustainability and success. As citizen demand for policies designed to protect children is expected to grow, it will become necessary to cut out unnecessary expenses by standardizing the system for compatibility and preventing overlapping investments, while attracting private investment. Also, public campaigns and education on child safety should be carried out on a regular basis and the dangerous elements near schools should be eliminated to create a safe environment for children.
Moreover, the legal basis should be established to allow fire departments and the police to search for a child’s location in an emergency situation.

The sustainability of the system also lies in the constant improvement being made to the service in response to the demands of children and caretakers. Unlike CCTV-centered safety systems, the u-Seoul Child Safety System boasts a standardized routine and emergency service system that has passed every technical feasibility test. As an integrated safety system that incorporates individual safety systems, such as CCTVs and electronic tags, and is operated systematically in accordance with mid-term roadmaps and a standardized model, the u-Seoul Child Safety System has been benchmarked by many public and private institutions and the media companies at home and abroad, which include the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the National Police Agency, Sejong City, Busan Metropolitan City, Seongnam City, Samsung, LG, the United Nations Public Administration Network, TIME magazine, broadcast stations and major newspaper companies.

The u-Seoul Child Safety System eases the sense of insecurity a parent might have about their children’s safety and contributes to improving citizen satisfaction with public services. It also serves as an ideal example of what should be given the top priority when developing and adopting new policies. Thanks to the reputation of the u-Seoul Child Safety System as a peerless safety network, many institutions and organizations are now building similar systems modeled after the u-Seoul Child Safety System.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The key to the success of the project can be attributed to the shared social consensus that a child safety tool was imperative, in addition to the latest ubiquitous communications technology and the construction of a system that resulted from the close relationship between existing individual systems and organizations.

The u-Seoul Safety System is now drawing positive responses from citizens as it serves as a social safety infrastructure capable of serving seniors, women and mentally-challenged individuals, as well as children, and has set an example of city governance whose benefits can be felt in the daily lives of citizens.

In conclusion, Seoul City’s determination and efforts to continue to develop policies that meet the needs of citizen is critical to the sustainable growth and success of this project.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ubiquitous City Promotion Division, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   Hyeong-joon Im
Title:   Staff  
Telephone/ Fax:   82-2-6361-3397
Institution's / Project's Website:   82-2-6361-3351
E-mail:   ihjoon@seoul.go.kr  
Address:   15 Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu
Postal Code:   100-739
City:   Seoul
State/Province:  
Country:  

          Go Back
Print friendly Page