The artificial intelligence (AI)-based monitoring system will alert rescue forces if someone stays in certain locations, enters an area considered unsafe, or picks up one of the dedicated suicide prevention phones on the bridge.
Mr. Kim Jun-young, Director of the Han River bridge surveillance camera (CCTV) Operation Center, said that this system has proven to be significantly effective, with the rescue rate on the river increasing from 56% in 2012 to more than 99% today.
He said that rescue teams can reach most of the bridges within five minutes - a crucial time to intervene and save lives.
We see our role as giving them another chance to think carefully, because that may not be the decision they want," Mr. Kim told AFP.
According to Mr. Kim, from a height of about 30m, colliding with the water surface is equivalent to crashing a car at a speed of 60 km/h.
Mr. Kim Jun-young also emphasized that persuading those who have made the decision is not easy, because they often resist rescue forces or run away "as if running a 100m race".
Others can make a final decision in an instant when they hear the alarm sound approaching, before rescue forces arrive.
He said that last year, nearly 900 cameras on 17 bridges recorded more than 1,200 situations requiring intervention and help, but "about eight people" could not be saved.
The AI camera system on the Han River has been operating since 2021 to cope with the high suicide rate in South Korea.
The suicide rate in 2024 has increased to over 29 cases per 100,000 people, the highest level since 2011. According to government figures, this is the leading cause of death in the group of people aged 10 to 49.
Constant study pressure, heavy workload and a culture that considers failure as personal responsibility can make people unable to cope with life difficulties or seek help, according to Mr. Yoo Jae-hyun, Director of the Suicide Prevention Center at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.
Many people who tried to end their lives told him that "they felt they had become a burden to those around them, and it would be better if they were no longer there," Yoo told AFP.
According to Mr. Yoo, Koreans in their 20s account for the largest proportion of those treated in the emergency room after suicides.
Many surveillance camera systems around the world use some forms of AI to help detect dangerous situations.
Asilla Corporation of Japan said that their artificial intelligence monitoring system can detect unusual behaviors, such as falls, or someone may be preparing to jump from above.
