270 requests to improve school routes in Jeju... 81 still unresolved

【Financial News | Jeju—Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Of the 270 requests for safety improvements raised along school routes in Jeju, 81 have yet to be addressed. At nine schools inspected this year, 28 of the 38 requests are still in the follow-up stage, including consultations with relevant agencies.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 6th, since 2018 it has operated school commute safety councils and inspected routes at 48 schools, addressing 189 of the 270 requests for improvements. The overall completion rate is 70%, with the remaining 30% still awaiting improvements.
This year, 12 schools were selected for inspection. So far, on-site meetings and joint inspections have been conducted at nine schools, identifying 38 issues for improvement. Ten have been addressed, including repairs to traffic safety facilities and the designation of areas for parking and stopping enforcement. The remaining 28 are being discussed with relevant agencies to determine how to make improvements.
The school commute safety councils include Jeju Province, the Jeju Provincial Office of Education, the autonomous police, administrative cities, eup, myeon and dong offices, and schools. They gather views from schools, parents and local residents, identify issues for improvement—such as securing pedestrian space and repairing traffic facilities—and assign them to the relevant organizations for action.
The main inspection areas include continuity of pedestrian routes and provision of safe walking space, potential collision risks between vehicles and pedestrians, the need for traffic facilities such as traffic lights and crosswalks, and traffic-related difficulties during school arrival and dismissal times.

Children’s safety on their way to and from school is also a nationwide traffic safety challenge. This year, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, together with the Ministry of Education, the Korean National Police Agency and others, is inspecting 93 areas with frequent traffic accidents within child protection zones nationwide and working to improve facilities such as safety barriers, crosswalks and stop signs.
By the end of the year, Jeju Province plans to make additional visits to three schools—Udo Elementary School, Ara Elementary School and Sinjeju Elementary School—to inspect hazards along their school routes.
Existing requests for improvements are managed in two categories: issues that can be addressed immediately and those requiring medium- to long-term review. Jeju Province plans to review each relevant agency’s action plans and progress and continue follow-up consultations on issues that remain unresolved.
Jeju Province plans to incorporate this year’s inspection results and follow-up actions on unresolved issues into the 2027 operating plan for the school commute safety councils.
Jo Sangbeom, head of Jeju Province’s Safety and Health Office, said, “Keeping school routes safe for children is not only about identifying hazards; it is also important to ensure that improvements are implemented effectively on the ground,” adding, “We will strengthen cooperation with relevant agencies.”


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter