Seongdong-gu in Seoul is rolling out a targeted cockroach control project using bait boxes in high-risk areas to reduce resident complaints during the summer season, district mayor Yoo Bo-hwa announced.
Cockroach-related complaints in the district rose from 256 in 2024 to 418 in 2025, and 181 cases had already been filed through July this year. With cockroach activity peaking in the hot, humid summer months, the district identified priority control zones based on the complaint data and stepped up its response.
Drawing on that analysis, the district selected intensive control areas and completed the installation of 80 "cockroach stations" — enclosed bait boxes — along key cockroach migration routes such as the bases of utility poles. The stations went into full operation at the end of July.
Each cockroach station lures cockroaches with poison bait placed inside the box. The district plans to inspect the boxes and replace the bait once a month to sustain the control effect over time.
Alongside this, pesticide spraying will be carried out once a month at major cockroach habitats and migration routes to boost overall effectiveness. By combining station-based poison baiting with direct pesticide application along movement corridors, the district aims to reduce the cockroach population more systematically.
The intensive control project will run through October, during which the district will monitor complaint trends before and after the station installations to assess effectiveness. Based on those findings, it will also consider expanding the number of stations to additional areas where further intervention is needed.
"Cockroaches cause significant discomfort in residents' daily lives, so we have focused our intensive control efforts on areas where they appear most frequently," district mayor Yoo said. "We will continue to monitor conditions on the ground and work to expand effective control methods to create a more pleasant living environment."
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