Busan is good

Safety Created by Citizens: “2026 Busan Autonomous Police Public Safety Living Lab Contest” Launched

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Busan Metropolitan City Autonomous Police Committee (Chair Kim Cheol-jun, hereinafter referred to as the Committee) announced that it will host the “2026 Busan Autonomous Police Public Safety Living Lab Contest” from March 9 to March 20 in collaboration with the Design Council Busan.

A “Public Safety Living Lab (Living Lab)” is a citizen-led problem-solving initiative in which residents identify public safety issues in their daily lives within the local community and seek solutions through experimentation and research.

The Committee is promoting this contest in order to discover locally tailored public safety policies aligned with the purpose of the autonomous police system and to expand safety services that citizens can tangibly experience.

<Overview of the 2026 Busan Autonomous Police Public Safety Living Lab Participant Contest>

Contest Title: “2026 Busan Autonomous Police Public Safety Living Lab Working Group Activity Project Contest”

Theme: Living Lab ideas for solving issues related to autonomous police affairs

– Designated Topics:

• 1.Measures to improve the Regional Safety Index (crime and traffic)

• 2.Public safety measures for tourist destinations

– Open Topics:
Measures to improve community public safety issues related to autonomous police affairs such as crime prevention, protection of vulnerable groups (children, youth, the elderly, women, and persons with disabilities), and traffic safety

Project Briefing Session: March 4, 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00, CMF Room, 3rd Floor, Design Council Busan

Contest Period: March 9 (Monday) – March 20 (Friday), 2026

Submission: Email submission to the 담당자 at Design Council Busan (jiny84@dcb.or.kr)

Final Selection Announcement: April 10, 2026 (Friday)

The contest will be divided into “Designated Topics” and “Open Topics.” The designated topics include measures to improve the Regional Safety Index (crime and traffic) and public safety measures for tourist destinations. The open topics include solutions to public safety issues related to autonomous police affairs such as crime prevention, protection of vulnerable groups (women, youth, children, etc.), and traffic safety.

Last year’s Public Safety Living Lab initiative received diverse project proposals from 22 teams. Five projects were selected and operated as Public Safety Living Labs, and through experimentation and research, three final projects were pilot implemented as solutions to public safety issues.

The three projects were: installation of specially designed cigarette-butt disposal bins to create a crime-prevention environment, establishment of safe zones to strengthen pedestrian safety in traditional markets, and installation of bench-type village bus stop signboards for elderly pedestrians with mobility difficulties.

This year, in order to create a safer Busan, the Committee plans to focus on selecting practical policy projects by introducing a bonus point system to strengthen the discovery of designated topics with high policy necessity, such as measures to improve the Regional Safety Index.

Applications are open to Busan residents and organizations as well as Busan Metropolitan Police Agency (police stations), district and county offices, universities located in Busan, and related institutions. Participation by teams of three to five members is recommended. Application documents must be submitted by email (jiny84@dcb.or.kr) between March 9 and March 20.

The project briefing session will be held today (the 4th) at 4:00 p.m. at Design Council Busan. Further details can be found on the Design Council Busan website (https://www.dcb.or.kr) or by contacting the office by phone (051-790-1067).

The selected works from the contest will be announced on April 10 through the official notice section of the Design Council Busan website (https://www.dcb.or.kr).

In the first-stage document review, seven to eight teams will be selected, and in the second-stage interview review, approximately five teams will be selected as final participants.

Selected teams will receive various forms of support including expert mentoring, research consulting, and collaboration with related institutions, as well as activity funding required for project implementation. After an interim performance report, outstanding projects will be selected and later reflected in policy development or utilized for promotional purposes.

Kim Cheol-jun, Chair of the Busan Metropolitan City Autonomous Police Committee, stated, “The Public Safety Living Lab is a participatory public safety model in which citizens’ ideas lead to actual policy changes and improvements in the field. We ask for great interest and participation in this contest, where citizens directly design the safety of their own neighborhoods.”