AI gives South Korea's security camera network a sharper eye
SEOUL (Kyodo) -- South Korean authorities are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to make better use of security camera footage, deploying
South Korean authorities are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance their security camera network, making better use of footage and detecting incidents in real-time. The technology allows authorities to quickly search for missing persons and automatically identify dangerous situations such as violence, people lying collapsed, or fights breaking out on the streets.
In Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district, a control center monitors footage from about 5,500 security cameras installed by the local government. Using AI, operators can input details about a missing person, including gender and clothing colors, and the system analyzes footage from surrounding cameras to display images of matching individuals. This process, which previously required manual checking of each camera, can complete in just seven to eight minutes for up to 100 cameras.
The AI system has already proven effective, helping locate a missing elderly person with dementia who was found wandering the district within two hours. AI is also used on Seoul's Han River bridges to detect potentially suicidal behavior, such as prolonged inactivity in one spot. The number of security cameras operated by local governments has risen from 440,000 in 2020 to 650,000 in 2024, while the number of staff monitoring footage has declined.
As a result, each staff member is now responsible for an average of 477 cameras, making efficient analysis an increasingly important issue. The total number of cameras in South Korean cities, including privately installed systems and vehicle dashboard cameras, is far higher than previously estimated. Police officers at the Yeongdeungpo control center now place greater importance on camera footage compared to searching for witnesses or conducting interviews, as memories can be inconsistent, but camera evidence is indisputable.
Public attitudes towards security cameras have also shifted, with many now seeing them as beneficial for safety rather than part of a surveillance society.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
