Busan, First Metropolitan City to Claim Its Third Consecutive International Safe Community Certification
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Busan, First Metropolitan City to Claim Its Third Consecutive International Safe Community Certification
□ Busan Metropolitan City is honored to be endorsed as an International Safe Community three times in a row, a first among metropolitan cities in the world.
□ The city announced that it would become the three-time recipient of the prestigious International Safe Community certification by the International Safe Community Certifying Centre.
○ This designation means that the local community’s and its members’ proactive and continuous endeavors to reduce incident damage and elevate safety have gained global recognition. The International Safe Community Certifying Centre, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, accredits the safety of cities worldwide through a series of audits every five years.
○ Busan emerged as the first metropolitan city to be certified as an International Safe Community in 2014 and was re-certified in 2019 and 2024, respectively, which makes Busan an internationally renowned safe city with robust infrastructure and capacities.
□ The International Safe Community Certifying Centre implemented onsite and virtual inspections at the Busan City Hotel Convention Hall between June 25th and 26th, 2024.
○ Chairman Reza Mohammadi, Guldbrand Skjönberg, and Lu Pai participated in the inspection online from abroad. Personnel from approximately 30 domestic organizations, including the Public Safety Office—the responsible entity—and related divisions, Gus, Guns, and the private sector, were involved as well.
□ The inspection process was comprehensive, covering presentations in seven key fields: briefing, injury monitoring, traffic safety, older adult fall prevention, suicide prevention, violence and crime prevention, and best practices, followed by a rigorous Q&A session. Inspectors meticulously examined whether Busan’s achievements are of the highest standard, such as forging public-private partnerships (governance) and protecting vulnerable populations.
○ Busan has been devoted to structural injury monitoring systems, as evidenced by the founding of the International Safe Community Research Center of Busan Metropolitan in 2011 and the publication of annual statistics. Busan also takes pride in the Safe Community Council, which is comprised of professionals from all walks of life, and significant investments of 2.54 billion won in 138 relevant projects. The due diligence team praised the city’s thorough efforts to minimize and avoid injuries, all the while fostering a culture of safety.
○ The injury mortality rate in Busan has decreased by 11.9 percentage points (%P) over the decade 2013-2022, and economic loss by 423.4 billion won.
* (Injury mortality rate) 61.2 → 53.9 (▽11.9%), (Economic loss) 13,842 billion → 9,608 billion (▽423.4 billion won)
○ Lee Jun-seung, the Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, attended the entire inspection process and highlighted the city's performance and capabilities. His dedication made a strong impression.
□ Busan is slated to finalize its registration with the International Safe Community Certifying Centre in August and host a ceremonial proclamation event for its three-time designation as an International Safe Community at BEXCO in September.
○ The proclamation ceremony will occur in conjunction with the K-Safety Expo 2024.
