Seoul has unveiled plans to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system for monitoring and identifying unusual behavior among subway passengers, with the aim of completing the system by the end of the year. The initiative, announced by Seoul Metro and the Seoul Digital Foundation, responds to recent incidents that have raised safety concerns on the subway.
These incidents include a stabbing in August that left two passengers injured and a false alarm in September about a stabbing on the same subway line, causing a rush and injuring 18 passengers.
The project’s goal is to create a real-time monitoring and detection system to identify abnormal passenger behavior. AI-powered “image captioning” technology will be used, which translates images or video footage into textual descriptions. If an incident occurs, the generated text can be sent to subway officials for immediate action.
Seoul Metro and the Seoul Digital Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding for the project and aim to complete the design and technical testing phase by December. They plan to initially test the system at one station and expand it to cover all stations and subway cars by 2025.
Seoul Metro anticipates that this project will enhance the response capabilities of authorities during critical situations by fostering collaboration between the police and subway security personnel.
By FCCT Editorial Team

