By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff reporter
After a series of rapes committed against schoolchildren shocked the country, Koreans have become fanatical about closed-circuit TVs (CCTV) as amply demonstrated by the rocketing demand for the surveillance system.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MAS) said Thursday that it will install more than 10,000 CCTVs across the country in order to monitor playgrounds at elementary schools and nearby areas.
Currently, just 4,419 cameras keep tabs on children around schools but the figure will triple in the years to come should the government initiative continue as planned,
IMS Research, an electronics market consultancy, said Wednesday that about 1,000 CCTV cameras should be installed at schools to counter rising crimes there.
According to the agency, the value of global demand for the security devices is expected to rise from $13.6 billion last year to $14.5 billion this year. The figure is projected to reach $19.5 billion in 2013.
"After crimes have been committed in places not covered by CCTV, the demand for the devices has literally exploded over the past few months," said a source close to the industry.
"In particular, customers want products that can come up with high-definition videos around the clock. I think that the demand for such merchandise will increase down the road."
Two brutal crimes committed against elementary school students by Kim Soo-chul and Kim Kil-tae recently caught the headlines.
Kim Soo-chul was arrested this month after kidnapping and raping an eight-year-old child in a residential district in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, which was not covered by CCTV.
Earlier in March, Kim Kil-tae also abducted and raped a primary school pupil in the southeastern port city of Busan. She was found dead in a part of the city where CCTV was not installed.
"The demand for CCTV has generated controversy on people's privacy. But after the crimes that took place over the past few months, a vast majority of parents are in favor of the idea of putting the devices on the streets," said a Seoul analyst.
"The trend is predicted to strengthen in the near future and demand is likely to soar here in the foreseeable future."
The preference for CCTV is not limited to Korea as the global markets for security cameras has risen dramatically over the past few years, according to recent surveys.