Women’s safety is an issue that has been addressed around the world. South Korea is recognized as one of the safest places to live globally. They are an excellently policed country where you can safely walk the streets at night without much worry. Police in Korea do not look to find infractions; it is hard to find police sitting around waiting to ticket a car for speeding, traffic violations, etc. The issues come about Korea’s drinking culture. While South Korea is very safe, it gets less safe when alcohol is involved. After drinking with co-workers, many women in Korea feel unsafe. Therefore, there are many apps for women living in Korea to protect themselves.
Many of these apps have been created by the Korean government to alleviate family members’ fears and help women in Korea move around confidently. These apps are very effective because everyone in Korea has a smartphone to be used as their lifeline. While most of these apps are in Korean, they might inspire entrepreneurs and government organizations to create one for their country. We have compiled a list of the best safety apps for women living in South Korea.
Top Safety Apps for Women Living in Korea
Guardian Angel(안심귀가 수호천사)
If you are in an emergency, you need to be able to call the police quickly. The Guardian Angel app allows you to quickly call the local police to report a crime or in an emergency. The app has a positional transmission system with a very simple user interface. There are different options for emergency calls and even consultation calls. The app can be used regardless of the region. The app is popular in Korea for reporting school violence, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.
Development: Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency
Support: Android / IOS
Smart back home safely(스마트 안전 귀가)
The saying “Text me when you get home” is something we have all used to make sure our friends and family get to a destination safely. The smart get back home safely app was developed to protect people that could be the target of crime, such as women, children, and the elderly. It has an alarm service called “Mobile Information Service,” which lets their guardians or friends know where they are and where they are going. The app offers push functions that keep the guardian updated. It offers real-time location tracking to make sure they get to their destination. This app is very popular in Korea for those traveling to another country.
Development: the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs
Support: Android / IOS
Smartphone Safe Return Service (스마트폰 안전귀가 서비스)
You can download the Smartphone Safe Return Service to your smartphone. Through the app, you can check for the location and distance of nearby CCTVs. This allows women in Korea to find the best possible route so they will always be captured on CCTV cameras. There is an SOS emergency option in case there is an emergency.
Development: Safety General Division
Support: Android /IOS
112 Emergency notification app(112 긴급신고)
The 112 Emergency notification app allows you to set emergency buttons on your smartphone so that you don’t have to open your phone or call the police. Here is how it works, you set your external buttons such as your volume button, or power button so that if you hold it down for longer than 3 seconds, the local police are notified. From 2021, the 112 Emergency App and the 119 Emergency by the Fire Department will be integrated into one. Furthermore, it is planned to incorporate a real-time translation service between the person reporting and support.
Development: National Police Agency/Fire Department
Support: Android / IOS
Sex offender notification(성범죄자 알림이)
The Sex Offender Notification App can search or check for sex offenders living near you. It will notify you if a sex offender has moved into your neighborhood. When the courts in Korea disclose personal information about a sex offender, the Minister of Justice will transmit the public information to the Minister of Gender Equality and Family. They will then upload the information to the Sex Offender Notification App, where you can find the name, picture, and even the address of the sex offender.
Development: Ministry of Gender Equality ＆ Family / Child and Youth
Support: Android / IOS
