Analysis: Seoul`s runaway teenagers gather mostly in Gwanak district

Gwanak District in southern Seoul has the highest number of teenagers who gather after running away from home among Seoul`s 25 districts. The result was based on an analysis after tracking the place of making phone calls by youth aged between 9 and 24 to "1388 teenager" help call from September to November last year. The analysis was jointly conducted by the Dong-A Ilbo, the Gender Equality & Family Ministry and the KT.

During this period, the number of calls by teenagers via help call stood at 150,000, among which 28,000 were made from those whose homes were in Seoul.

According to analysis results, Gwanak District ranked No. 1 with 11.5 percent at daytime and 12.5 percent at night. It was 10 times those in Eunpyeong and Seongdong districts that had the lowest figure. In Gwanak District, phone calls from Bongcheon-dong and Shillim-dong were similar at daytime, but the ratio was very high at night in Shillim where there are many red light places. Gangnam, Songpa and Seocho districts were ranked from second to fourth at daytime, but fell below fifth at night.

The latest analysis also covered emergency aid mobilization related to runaways between 2010 and 2013. Emergency mobilization refers to mobilizing when teenagers are judged to be in an urgent state while getting help call counseling.

Ryu Ki-ok, manager of teenager self-support team at the Gender Equality & Family Ministry, said, "The number of runaway teenagers stands at 280,000 for those located outside the social safety network," adding, "Based on the latest big data analysis, we will readjust rest places and a nationwide map for runaway teenagers."