Gangseo-gu to hold dementia missing-person drill Tuesday

Seoul's Gangseo-gu announced Friday that it will conduct a "dementia patient missing-person response drill" near Balsan Station on Tuesday.

The district has been providing tailored employment opportunities for dementia patients to help them continue participating as members of society. Gangseo-gu has the second-largest elderly population in Seoul, with an estimated 9,000 residents aged 65 or older living with dementia as of the end of last year.

The drill is designed to test the district's ability to respond effectively to missing dementia patients and to strengthen coordination among relevant agencies.

A key feature of the exercise will be the AI-based rapid missing-person search system the district introduced last year. The system takes a description of a missing person's appearance and uses AI to automatically analyze footage from nearby closed-circuit television cameras, identifying physical characteristics and tracing movements. Officials expect the technology to shorten search times and secure the critical window — the "golden time" — for locating missing individuals.

The drill will be conducted in close cooperation with the Gangseo-gu Dementia Care Center, the Gangseo Integrated Control Center and the Seoul Gangseo Police Station, among other agencies, and will simulate real-world conditions. The district plans to film the entire exercise and produce a public education video on dementia missing-person prevention and response for use in future community education and outreach.

On the day of the drill, a joint campaign booth will also be set up to raise public awareness and encourage community participation, with the Gangseo Police Station, Gangseo-gu Public Health Center, the Korea Association of Health Promotion and the Gangseo-gu Community Welfare Center all taking part.

"I hope this drill will serve as an opportunity to verify how AI technology can protect the safety of our residents," Gangseo-gu Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon said. "We will do our utmost to build a tight safety net with relevant agencies and create a 'dementia-safe city Gangseo' where dementia patients and their families can live with peace of mind."