Gangbuk-gu deploys AI-powered CCTV system to speed up missing persons searches

Gangbuk-gu in Seoul has built an AI-based high-speed search system to help locate missing persons more quickly, with a particular focus on responding to the growing number of cases involving vulnerable residents such as dementia patients and children.

The district said Tuesday the system, funded with a budget of 200 million won ($145,000), uses AI video analysis technology to rapidly process large volumes of CCTV footage and trace a missing person's movements. It can analyze up to 100 hours of footage in 7 to 25 minutes, dramatically cutting the time needed to review surveillance recordings.

Searches can be conducted using only basic identifying information — such as a facial photo, a full-body image, or a description of clothing. The system can also track the same individual across multiple cameras in sequence, allowing investigators to quickly reconstruct a missing person's route. Multiple subjects can be searched simultaneously.

Results are delivered in report form showing the subject's movements and will be shared with police to support missing persons searches and investigations. The district also plans to use the system when other incidents occur, beyond missing persons cases.

"Speed of initial response is everything when someone goes missing," Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jeong Chang-su said. "We will use the AI CCTV high-speed search system to cut the time it takes to find missing persons and build a safer Gangbuk-gu where residents can feel secure."