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| Security cameras, from 360-degree to flat lens types, on display at a store in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Jan. 25, 2015. / Yonhap |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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| A security camera monitors a red-light district in Cheongnyangni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Jan. 19. / Korea Times file |
He knew there was a camera on a lamppost near the scene and asked at a nearby police station if he could view footage from it. The man thought the camera was filming 360 degrees at all times and must have recorded the accident.
But what he heard from police was not what he expected: the camera inside the safety fixture's black cover rotates at a certain angle automatically to record only a partial view, not 360 degrees. He checked the video feed and found the camera was recording a different angle at the time of the accident.
"I was relieved to see the camera at the scene at first, but finding that it only recorded a partial view, I was dumbfounded," the man told the Maeil Business Newspaper.
Not many people know the secret of the so-called 360-degree camera. It raises concerns about vulnerable people who may rely on them to deter criminals in isolated areas.
In the case of crime or traffic accidents, where safety cameras provide evidence, such a limited camera operation can bog down the investigation.
A more serious problem is that there are several such cameras across the nation. In Songpa-gu, 86 percent of the 478 safety cameras installed in alleys in residential zones are 360-degree cameras, the district office said.
"We get an average of 100 requests to check security camera videos every week," a Songpa police official said. "But only 30 percent of the requests find records of the scene in question."
Unlike security cameras with a flat lens constantly recording a fixed angle, 360-degree cameras, usually attached to ceilings, record a certain angle for several seconds and automatically turn to another, creating blind spots.
To resolve this issue, three to four flat lens cameras must be installed around each 360-degree camera. Gangnam-gu district in southern Seoul has benefited from well preparing the cameras, allowing it to access evidence for many investigations.
