Security beefed up to protect women on Olle track

By Yun Suh-young

Women walking the Olle trails on Jeju Island can rent a one-touch emergency device to call for help.

A recently formed safety measure council for the Olle trails said Monday it will establish a system whereby women can touch a button on the alarms just once to transmit their location to the police in an emergency. It will automatically send the distress signal to the 112 situation room.

The council consists of working level officials from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Jeju Olle Corporation.

The one-touch SOS device will be made available to female travelers walking the Olle trails alone. The council has purchased 300 and they can be rented at Jeju International Airport, ports, and information centers at the Olle trails.

Olle trekking courses will also employ guards in an effort to ensure the safety of female tourists. The island decided to hire people recommended by local villages as the guards on different trekking courses. They will be placed in the most isolated areas and will patrol their respective sections during designated time periods.

The council also requested cooperation from the radio management office and telecommunications companies to improve mobile phone connections in blanket areas on courses 11, 14, 14-1, 18-1, and 19 and on six sections of other paths.

Based on inspection results that will be released today, the council will install closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras in spots where visitor’s safety seems most at risk. Direction posts will also be renewed.

A CCTV control center will also be established by October to provide a 24-hour dispatch service in collaboration with the police and firefighters.