Seongdong-gu in Seoul is rolling out an AI-based fire-monitoring system at Geumnam Market and Ttukdo Market to strengthen safety management at aging traditional markets, the district said. District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa is leading the initiative.
Seongdong-gu and CELab, an AI video-analysis company, were selected for the "2026 Testbed Seoul" pilot support project organized by the Seoul Business Agency and have signed a cooperation agreement to begin full-scale testing.
The pilot is expected to run through June next year, with preparatory work and system installation for on-site application set to take place in the second half of this year.
Both Geumnam Market and Ttukdo Market have been in operation for more than 60 years. Their densely packed storefronts and aging electrical infrastructure make them particularly vulnerable to fire. The existing smoke-detector-based fire alarm systems have also been prone to frequent malfunctions, wasting fire department resources and causing alarm fatigue — problems that made a supplementary solution necessary.
In response, the district decided to introduce an advanced fire-monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to fires more accurately and quickly.
The new AI fire-monitoring system analyzes footage from roughly 70 closed-circuit television cameras already installed across the two markets to detect signs of fire. Because it leverages existing CCTV infrastructure, the system minimizes additional costs.
When the AI detects a suspected fire, it sends a short clip of about 10 seconds — capturing conditions before and after the incident — to market managers via a messaging alert. Managers can assess whether a fire has broken out from the footage without going to the scene, and if they determine it is a real fire, they can report it to emergency services with a single click. The system is expected to reduce false alarms while speeding up initial response when a genuine fire occurs.
Geumnam Market is also operating an autonomous fire-patrol robot, further reinforcing its smart fire-safety management framework. Installed in April after being selected through a competitive program run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Fire and Disaster Headquarters, the robot autonomously patrols the market's interior during late-night hours — when fire risk is relatively high — and alerts managers to conditions in real time.
In the event of a fire, the robot automatically contacts 119 emergency services and can attempt initial suppression using an onboard fire extinguisher.
"In traditional markets, where stores are packed closely together, rapid detection and early response are paramount when a fire breaks out," district Mayor Yoo said. "We will continue to work hard on safety management, effectively integrating advanced technology into existing facilities so that both merchants and visitors can feel secure."
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