Residents of semi-basement homes will be able to detect danger and evacuate faster when fires or heavy rain strike overnight, as the district tightens its safety net for one of Seoul's most vulnerable housing types.
Seodaemun-gu announced it is accepting additional applications for its smart safety management service for semi-basement households, a program designed to help residents respond quickly to disasters including fires, flooding and carbon monoxide poisoning.
The service installs IoT sensors — detecting fire, flooding and carbon monoxide — along with communications equipment in semi-basement homes at no cost, enabling real-time hazard monitoring.
When a sensor detects danger, it immediately triggers an on-site voice alarm and sends automatic text messages to guardians and relevant contacts. The system simultaneously links to a central monitoring center for rapid response coordination.
Seodaemun-gu currently operates the service in 350 semi-basement households across the district. The latest recruitment round, made possible by equipment recovered from previous participants, will add eight more households.
There are no installation or usage fees. The program is open to residents or owners of semi-basement homes within the district.
As climate change drives more frequent localized downpours and fire risk in aging housing stock grows, the district said it is continuing to expand community-level safety policies that use information and communications technology to proactively protect disaster-vulnerable residents.
Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis through Aug. 31 and can be submitted to the Seodaemun-gu Smart Information Division.
"When it comes to disasters, warning people before they happen matters far more than responding after the fact," district mayor Park Woon-ki said. "We will keep closing safety blind spots so that technology can serve as the closest safety net protecting residents' lives."
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