Seoul is expanding distribution of portable safety devices that send an emergency alert at the push of a button, as a string of violent crimes and stalking cases has heightened public anxiety. When an alert comes in, a CCTV control center checks the surrounding area and, if necessary, requests police dispatch, helping residents respond quickly to the threat of crime.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will begin distributing the 2026 version of its "Donghaeng Safety Bell," which has been improved in both design and function, in stages starting on the 26th. Renamed from the previous "Ansim Help Me," the bell comes as a phone grip or a keyring and is divided into connected models, which carry the emergency alert function, and non-connected models.
The connected version links CCTV control centers with the city's Ansim-i app to handle emergency alerts around the clock. Pressing the button sets off a warning sound and files an alert, while footage from CCTV cameras near the user is transmitted to the control center. Depending on the level of danger, the center requests police dispatch, and up to five registered guardians receive the user's real-time location by text message.
The city has been accepting applications since the 28th of last month through the Birth and Child Care Information Center website. The devices are provided free of charge to people considered socially vulnerable to crime, including single-person households, adolescents and women.
The Donghaeng Safety Bell is part of the city's broader Seoul Safety Bell program, which also includes versions for small business owners and elementary school students. Seoul distributed a total of 630,000 units between 2024 and the end of September this year, and plans to raise the cumulative figure to 1.3 million by 2030.
There have already been cases in which an alert led to a police response. In July this year, in Seoul's Seongdong District, a user of the bell was unable to speak and only the voice of an assailant could be heard, prompting the control center to request police dispatch. Officers took the assailant in for voluntary questioning at the scene and imposed a restraining order.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the CCTV control center in Seoul's Yangcheon District on the afternoon of the same day to review the response system, from the moment an alert is received to police dispatch.
"With public anxiety growing amid a series of violent crimes, the city will respond with residents' safety as its top priority," Oh said. "We will continue on-site inspections and expand distribution so that the Seoul Safety Bell becomes a reliable safety net protecting residents at critical moments."