The Seoul city government announced on the 18th that it had detected 358 suspected drug-related activities through its closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring over the past two years. This was achieved by monitoring personnel who identified suspicious behaviors in real-time through a total of 113,273 CCTV cameras across Seoul.
Looking at the number of detected suspicious activities by year, there were 141 cases in the second half of 2023, 153 cases last year, and 64 cases in the first half of this year. Among them, a total of 36 individuals were arrested on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act.
In terms of regional detection status, Seocho District (111 cases) and Gangnam District (63 cases) accounted for 48.6%.
Those arrested were primarily caught engaging in suspicious activities near dwellings (12 cases) and on roads and vehicles (13 cases).
The Seoul city government plans to increase the number of training sessions for 322 CCTV monitoring personnel in the second half of the year to enhance the city's response to drug crimes. The training for monitoring personnel will be conducted in a format where investigators from the prosecution office directly teach, with the cooperation of the prosecution office. The lectures will share scenarios recently occurring in drug-related crime scenes, including cases of individuals hiding their faces with masks and loitering around buildings, as well as methods involving disguising as delivery drivers to throw items.
Kang Jin-yong, head of the Health and Medical Policy Division of Seoul, noted, "Drugs are becoming a serious social issue that threatens not only individuals but also society as a whole," and added, "We will operate a comprehensive response system from prevention to treatment and rehabilitation along with real-time CCTV monitoring."