Seoul's Jongno District is looking for a company to install closed-circuit (CC)TV cameras, security lights and emergency fire extinguishing boxes in five neighborhoods west of Gyeongbok Palace, including Ogin-dong and Tongin-dong. The district already issued a first notice and held a bid, but no company stepped up to take on the project, so it is reposting the notice. The area west of Gyeongbok Palace, which draws domestic and foreign tourists, has narrow alleyways and lacks CCTV and security lights, making it vulnerable to crime at night. In 2013, an arson incident at Tongin Market forced about 100 people to evacuate.
According to the maintenance industry on the 20th, Jongno District has reposted a notice for the "safe alley project on the west side of Gyeongbok Palace" from the 16th through today and is seeking a contractor for the work. In the first notice at the end of last year, not a single company bid, prompting the reposting. One company that had shown interest in the first notice did not submit a proposal by the final bid deadline, and as a result, the tender reportedly failed with no bidders.
The project will build facilities for crime prevention and disaster response—such as CCTV, emergency bells, emergency fire extinguishing boxes and fire extinguishers—across 155,484.5 square meters within the urban regeneration activation zone west of Gyeongbok Palace. In legal-dong terms, the area covers five neighborhoods: Ogin, Nuha, Tongin, Pilun and Chebu.
Jongno District is pushing the project because the alleyways west of Gyeongbok Palace are narrow and lack CCTV and security lights, leaving them vulnerable to crime at night. On the project goal, the district said, "We aim to build basic infrastructure to respond quickly to crimes and fires in narrow, aging alleyways and to create an environment where any resident can live with peace of mind."
According to the Seoul city government, there are only 22 CCTVs across all five neighborhoods west of Gyeongbok Palace—Ogin, Nuha, Tongin, Pilun and Chebu. In particular, Tongin-dong, known for Tongin Market, has only one CCTV in the entire neighborhood. In September 2013, a homeless person surnamed Seo set fire to five stores and a motorcycle at Tongin Market, forcing about 100 nearby residents to evacuate and causing 60 million won in property damage.
Jongno District is accepting bids through the 20th, including proposed prices and project proposals, based on a service amount of 200 million won. The project period is 210 days from the start date. Bidders must be industrial design specialist firms (environmental design or comprehensive design fields) under the Industrial Design Promotion Act and be registered in one of the following: design firms or professional engineer offices, civil engineering contractors, or building contractors. A Jongno District official said, "If, after the first failed tender, the second bid also draws only one bidder and fails to establish competitive bidding, we can sign a negotiated contract," adding, "However, we plan to decide after our own review to determine whether the company meets the project qualifications."
Kim Sang-il, a senior researcher at the Seoul Institute, said, "The Seochon area has become one of Seoul's representative destinations for many domestic and foreign tourists," adding, "It is necessary to try to reduce blind spots for fires and crimes through the safe alley project." Kim added, "However, whether to maintain this area's serene, living traditions or to introduce changes to some urban spaces here is something not only local residents but also the Seoul city government and various stakeholders should put their heads together to consider."