CCTVs, Welcomed in the Neighborhoods.

²Individual privacy and safety, which would citizens regard more important?²

After installing CCTVs in the alleys for the first time in Korea and after analyzing their crime prevention effects for 8 months in Nonhyundong, Kangnamgu, Seoul, the results showed that crimes actually decreased and that people welcomed CCTV installations.

Among 2587 respondents out of the 45000 residents whose names were on the e-mail list and who have been surveyed by Kangnamgu Office between July 1 to 10, 85% answered that they approve of CCTV installations.

Unlike the criticism from the human rights groups and the legal circle that installing CCTV in the neighborhood is a violation against human rights, the survey result proved that the residents do not mind a little intrusion of privacy if it was for their own safety and convenience. Experts diagnosed such phenomenon as a ²proof of overall anxiety cast upon our society.²

Kangnamgu set up and is operating 5 CCTVs in the alleys of Nonhyundong, where unitina private houses (apartment unit in a private house) are concentrated, since last November.

As a neighborhood where many women working in entertainment venues live, frequent theft and burglary had been reported in this area. Each CCTV, worth approximately 15 million won, is a highly efficient device, of which the range of vision can be extended to 500m ahead, which rotates 360 degrees and could zoom in 12 times.

Officials of Nonhyun1dong and Nonhyun2dong police boxes who monitor the screens unanimously say that ²crimes and illegal waste disposal have decreased greatly,² and that ²the residents are very satisfied.”

In effect, after the installation, crime rate was reduced by more than 40% compared to last year in the Nonhyundong vicinity. Nonhyun1dong police box was also chosen as the best in terms of crime reduction for the first half of this year.

Waste disposals on the alleys was reduced by over 30%, and according to an employee of Nonhyundong Office said that with the CCTV installation, people throwing away wastes disappeared in Kkachi Park.

Mr. Lee, a 50 year-old businessman who lives in Nonhyundong, said that the neighborhood became cleaner and safer after setting up CCTVs.

When asked on the question of CCTVs` intrusion of privacy, a 20 something woman who wished to remain anonymous answered that ²preventing people from being hurt is much more important than privacy.²

A Sociology Professor Cho, Dae Yup of Korea University said that ²due to the overall lack of regulations in our society, people`s desire for surveillance has increased,² and that ²people who are facing danger would probably feel that they could submit to a little violation on their privacies.²

A Psychology Professor Hwang, Sang Min of Yonsei University remarked that ²although humans have an innate fear of privacy infringements, people who feel confident about themselves tend to give up an insignificant part of their privacy for their safety`s sake.²

British weekly magazine the Economist have already reported last year that ²as the desire for convenience and safety grew bigger people became less sensitive about exposing their private lives to the public,² and that ²what makes a society, where a `big brother` watches over all the individuals, is not the country, not a totalitarian power, but people themselves (who pursue convenience at the price of their basic rights).²

Sun-Woo Kim sublime@donga.com