Oh Se-hoon: 'No compromise' on safety in Seoul

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said safety is "the foundation of happiness" and vowed to make no concessions in his effort to make Seoul safer.

Oh wrote on his SNS account Monday that "there can be no compromise or concession when it comes to the safety of citizens," adding that "when safety wavers, walking alone down the street, keeping a shop, and waiting for a family member to come home all turn into sources of fear."

"More and more citizens are living with the fear that anyone could become a victim," he said. "After thinking hard from the citizen's perspective about what would be needed to let people call for help in a moment of danger, the 'Ansim Help Me' device was born in 2024."

He said the device sold out immediately after its release, but added that the overwhelming response weighed on him. "It meant that citizens' anxiety was that great," he wrote. He said the device had since received more than 2,900 emergency reports, of which police responded to 54 cases and intervened to stop the perpetrators.

Oh said the Ansim Help Me has now been upgraded into the "Donghang Ansim Bell," incorporating feedback from citizens. "It is lighter and the alarm is louder," he said. He added that a version requiring no smartphone app had also been developed so that those less familiar with mobile devices would not be left out. He pledged to expand the number of Seoul safety bells to 1.3 million by 2030 to protect more citizens.

Oh closed by saying the city would "invest intensively, without any concession, in strengthening safety and public security."