Chilgok County Council Member Kim Seokgi: "Child Pedestrian Safety, 365 Days a Year Without Gaps"

Proposes a smart pedestrian safety system using AI CCTV and safety barriers
Urges comprehensive risk surveys of school routes, pilot projects, and efforts to secure national and provincial funding

Kim Seokgi, a member of the Chilgok County Council in North Gyeongsang Province, called for the creation of a "365-day pedestrian safety system" to prevent traffic accidents involving children and urged the county to create a safe environment for traveling to and from school.

Kim Seokgi delivers a five-minute speech during the 321st Extraordinary Session of the Chilgok County Council [Photo provided by Chilgok County]

Speaking during a five-minute address at the 321st extraordinary session of the Chilgok County Council on October 27, Kim stressed the need for proactive measures to reduce pedestrian safety blind spots, both on children's routes to and from school and in their everyday lives outside school.

According to data from the Chilgok Police Station cited by Kim, traffic accidents involving children under the age of 18 in the county totaled seven in 2025, leaving nine victims. As of August 30, 2026, two accidents had occurred, injuring three people.

"Even a single accident can leave our children with an irreparable wound," Kim said. "We must move away from responding only after an accident occurs and build a prevention-focused safety system that identifies and eliminates risks in advance."

As an alternative, he cited a smart school zone in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, that combines artificial intelligence (AI) closed-circuit television (CCTV) with safety barriers, and proposed introducing a customized pedestrian safety model that reflects Chilgok County's road conditions and the characteristics of each school.

Specifically, he outlined three tasks: conducting a comprehensive survey of pedestrian safety risks in child protection zones and on major school routes, and prioritizing high-risk areas; launching a smart pedestrian safety pilot project tailored to conditions in Chilgok County and expanding it in stages; and securing national and provincial funding by identifying grant programs offered by central government ministries and North Gyeongsang Province.

He stressed that meaningful reductions in accidents can be achieved by systematically identifying high-risk areas, expanding safety facilities according to priority, and gradually extending prevention systems that incorporate smart technology.

"Pedestrian safety for children is not simply a project to improve traffic facilities; it is about protecting our children's lives and Chilgok County's future," Kim said, urging the county administration to act responsibly and create an environment where people can walk with confidence 365 days a year.

The proposal underscores the need to expand child traffic safety efforts beyond improvements to individual facilities and establish an ongoing prevention and management system. Attention will turn to whether risk-area surveys, pilot projects and funding efforts lead to concrete policies.

Because prevention is key to child pedestrian safety, rather than measures taken after an accident, Chilgok County must turn risk assessments and the introduction of smart safety technologies into policies that can be effectively implemented.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.