How stable is South Korea? Hello! For international travelers planning a trip to South Korea, we’d like to share more about security in South Korea. Before traveling to an unfamiliar place, anyone can have safety concerns. In this article, we’ll cover the level of security in South Korea, the types of crimes to watch out for, and tips for traveling safely to help you plan your trip.
How stable is South Korea?
South Korea’s public safety is among the best in the world. As of 2023, South Korea’s public safety ranking is 17th in the NUMBEO statistical survey, which is significantly higher than other countries and the highest among Asian countries. In particular, the incidence of violent crime is very low, so you can feel relatively safe walking the streets late at night.
Therefore, security is the most satisfying aspect for foreign tourists when they visit Korea. Secondly, they rate the friendliness of the people as very good.
South Korea’s smart policing system
Korea has introduced a smart policing system to further strengthen public security. Based on the advancement of science and technology, the system is responding to the sophistication and intelligence of criminal activities. In addition, smart policing strives to solve security problems at the root by exploring and discovering problems.
Women’s safety measures in South Korea
In South Korea, we also actively promote women’s safety measures¹. After identifying places and factors that make women vulnerable to crime, they analyze the problem and work with communities to improve the environment and focus police forces to ensure women’s safety.
South Korea’s women’s safety measures include the following
1. Improving Women’s Safe Return Service: We are improving services to help women return home safely at night.
2. Expanding closed-circuit television (CCTV): We are installing more CCTV to prevent crime.
3. Introducing a safe address: We are introducing a “safe address” that replaces a crime victim’s actual residence on their resident registration with a virtual address to prevent exposure of their actual residence.
4. Expanding support for safety sets and unattended delivery boxes: We support the installation of residential intrusion motion detection sensors for single-person households, and are expanding support for “safety sets” such as portable emergency bells, as well as “safety unattended delivery boxes”.
5. zero tolerance for crimes against the vulnerable, such as stalking, domestic violence, relationship violence, and sexual assault, and limited sentencing.
In addition to these, South Korea has developed and implemented various measures to ensure women’s safety.
The Korean Mindset
Public security in South Korea is generally very reliable, so don’t worry too much. In urban centers such as Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon, there are often many people in the streets until very late in the morning. There are many police stations around, and the streets are monitored by CCTV in real time.
Also, Koreans don’t steal from others, so it’s safe to leave all your belongings at cafes, restaurants, and other places when you’re away for a while. However, it is not 100% safe, so it is better to keep your money and jewelry with you.
If something is stolen or an accident occurs
Although Korea is said to be very safe and secure, if a foreign tourist is involved in an accident or has their property stolen in Korea, they should follow the following steps:
1. Report to the police: You should first report the incident to the nearest police station (Police station number in Korea: 112).
2. Contact your overseas diplomatic mission: You should contact your overseas diplomatic mission (embassy, consulate general) to receive the contact information of the police station in charge of the incident and instructions on how to report the incident.
3. Contact the Consular Call Center: The Consular Call Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can be reached at 02-3210-0404 in Korea and +82-2-3210-0404 overseas.
You also need to follow special procedures if you lose your passport, traveler’s checks, airline tickets, baggage, etc¹². To prepare for such situations, we recommend that you write down your passport number, date of issue, and the address and contact information of our mission in your destination before traveling.
Conclusion: Traveling safely in South Korea
South Korea is one of the best-policed countries in the world. There are many ways to improve security, including smart policing systems and women’s safety measures. However, no security system is perfect, so it’s important for travelers to remain vigilant at all times. To enjoy your trip to South Korea and stay safe, it’s important to follow local laws and regulations and take
(FAQ) How stable is South Korea?
Q: What is South Korea’s public safety ranking?
A: As of 2023, South Korea’s public safety ranking is 17th according to the numbeo statistical survey, which is higher than many countries.
Q: What is Korea’s smart policing system like?
A: South Korea’s smart policing system is based on advances in science and technology to respond to the sophistication and intelligence of criminal behavior. The system explores and identifies problems and strives to solve them at the root of the problem.
Q: How do you ensure women’s safety in Korea?
A: In Korea, we are actively promoting women’s safety measures. After identifying crime-prone places and factors, they analyze the problem and work with local communities to improve the environment and focus police forces to ensure women’s safety.
