Jeju Island expands AI surveillance amid crime rate discussions

Jeju Island is addressing public safety concerns following reports of mishandled missing person cases and high crime rates per 100,000 residents. While Jeju maintains the highest crime rate per capita among South Korea's 17 provinces, experts from the Jeju Research Institute note that total crime volume remains significantly lower than regions like Gyeonggi Province. They suggest the high per capita rate is skewed by the large influx of tourists and transient populations who contribute to crime statistics but are not included in the permanent resident population counts.

Data shows that while certain crimes like rape and sexual harassment have increased, major violent crimes—including murder, robbery, theft, and violence—have trended downward over the last decade. The crime rate per capita in Jeju has actually decreased by 19.8% since 2015, outperforming the national average decrease of 16.2%.

To bolster security, Jeju operates an Integrated Control Center that monitors 19,734 CCTVs 24/7. The province is expanding its use of Artificial Intelligence, with 58% of cameras already utilizing intelligent smart selection systems to detect anomalies like falls or flooding. Jeju aims to increase AI-driven monitoring to 75% to improve efficiency in searching for missing persons and managing traffic and disasters.