Yongin City to Utilize Smart City Video Information for Military Operations

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun, reporter] Video information from the smart city integrated platform built by Yongin City will be utilized not only for criminal arrests and firefighting, but also starting this year for military operation control and training support.

Yongin City announced on the 23rd that it had signed a "Smart City Safety Network Construction Business Agreement" on the 21st, involving four organizations including the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of National Defense, and Seoul City.

The agreement was made to provide the city's smart city video information to the military in a timely manner, following a proposal from the 55th Division at the "Yongin City Smart City Integrated Platform Completion Report" held last year, through discussions with the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport.

Yongin City will link the smart city integrated platform with the 55th Division situation room, and in the future, by connecting local governments and the Ministry of National Defense, local government video information can be utilized to conduct operations efficiently during national emergency situations.

Currently, even if situations occur in the region, video information can only be provided upon separate requests or situations can only be communicated by phone, making it difficult to quickly grasp situations or handle initial responses, and it requires excessive deployment of personnel and equipment.

However, the city plans not to provide video information under normal circumstances to protect citizen safety and human rights, and will provide it only in cases permitted by relevant laws and regulations such as national security assurance and regional disaster response.

Specifically, CCTV information will be provided in real-time in cases such as declaration of general defense mobilization, issuance of alert level 2 or higher, Ulchi Taegeuk exercises, Korea-U.S. combined exercises, or occurrence of terrorism or emergency medical situations.

Baek Gun-gi, Mayor of Yongin City, stated, "As a means to protect Yongin, Korea's safest city, we have shared and utilized the smart city integrated platform with police and fire authorities, and by providing video information to military operations, we now contribute to not only regional community safety but also national security."

Meanwhile, this "Military Operation Control and Training Support Service" will have the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport support system development, while Yongin City and the 55th Division establish operating environments and service standards, and will be distributed on a paid basis to local governments nationwide that adopt the smart city integrated platform starting next year.

Through the business agreement, Yongin City will be able to reduce service adoption costs and implement functions reflecting its own requirements.