Drones and Robots Take Center Stage at Gangseo Safety Korea Drill

Gangseo-gu District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon took part in the Safety Korea Training exercise held Friday at LG Arts Center Seoul, calling for a thorough state of disaster readiness.

"Responding to unexpected natural disasters will be just as important going forward as dealing with social disasters such as fires and crowd accidents," Jin said. "We will establish a swift and systematic response posture through drills that mirror real-world conditions."

Safety Korea Training is a nationwide comprehensive exercise conducted jointly by relevant agencies to strengthen disaster response systems.

The drill took place at LG Arts Center Seoul, a major cultural facility that draws 290,000 visitors a year. About 380 people from 18 agencies — including the Gangseo-gu district office, Gangseo Fire Station, Gangseo Police Station and LG Science Park — participated in a live-action scenario simulating a crowd accident triggered by a performance hall fire.

The district focused its response on rapid initial action and situation reporting, crowd dispersal and evacuation guidance, and first-response suppression and rescue operations. Firefighting robots, drones and other advanced equipment were also deployed to boost the drill's effectiveness.

Through exercises of this kind, the district has built up its on-site response capabilities and established a precise safety management system, earning recognition as a top-tier disaster management authority nationwide.

At the 2024 Safety Korea Training evaluation, Gangseo-gu was the only one of Seoul's 25 autonomous districts to receive a commendation from the Minister of Interior and Safety. The district was also named an outstanding institution in the ministry's 2025 Disaster Management Assessment, which evaluated 338 disaster management agencies across the country, in recognition of its efforts to strengthen practical disaster response capabilities.