A program run by Seoul's Seongdong-gu to keep elementary school students safe on their way to and from school is drawing strong approval from parents and children alike.
Seongdong-gu said a 2026 user satisfaction survey found that 93.6 percent of respondents were satisfied with the morning trip to school and 88.8 percent with the afternoon return — up 1.8 percentage points and 1.9 percentage points, respectively, from the previous year.
Awareness of the program also rose. Recognition rates reached 94.2 percent for the morning trip and 89.5 percent for the afternoon, gains of 3.5 percentage points and 3.2 percentage points year on year.
Seongdong-gu became the first district in the country to deploy traffic safety guards at every elementary school in its jurisdiction in 2019. The district currently operates 175 guards across 20 elementary schools, stationed at crosswalks and accident-prone stretches near school zones to help children walk safely.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 2 to Oct. 14 among first- through third-grade students and their parents at local elementary schools. Respondents gave high marks to guards' friendly greetings, proactive traffic guidance and efforts to create a safe commuting environment.
Seongdong-gu plans to use the findings to improve the program's operations. The district will strengthen job training for guards and, next year, review staffing levels at intersections and high-risk accident zones with an eye toward adding more personnel.
Operating hours will also be adjusted to reflect each school's dismissal schedule and after-school activities, and the district plans to expand the supply of safety equipment for guards during heat waves, cold snaps and heavy rain.
"Traffic safety guards are a core program — not only for protecting our children but for creating a commuting environment that parents can trust," Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "We will listen carefully to voices from the field and keep working to build an environment where children can get to and from school more safely."
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