On May 25, Seoul was selected as one of the world’s 100 resilient cities (100RC; 100 Resilient Cities) by the Rockefeller Foundation. To celebrate its centennial anniversary, the Rockefeller launched 100RC to select 100 cities to help them improve their capacities to “bounce back rapidly from shocks and stresses”.
 
Once selected, the cities are provided with funds worth KRW 1 billion, expert advice, and software solutions. The Foundation has selected some 30 cities in 2013, 33 in 2014, and 37 this year to complete the list made up of international cities such as Paris, London, Rome, and Montreal. This year, 325 cities took part in the selection process. In South Korea, Seoul was the only city that passed the 9-1 competition to make it to the list.
 
Thanks to the Foundation’s assistance with risk management, big data use and analysis, funding, and urban infrastructure, Seoul expects to upgrade its safety to another level. With the Urban Safety Headquarters as the supervisor, the city seeks to form a task force to share its experience as a 100RC member until 2017 and develop an inclusive and innovative disaster management plan based on international cooperation.
 
Ever since Mayor Park Won-sun was elected to office, the city has adopted safety-first policies to △ improve the city’s capacity for better disaster prevention and response; △ build a pedestrian-oriented road infrastructure; and △ manage and ensure that urban facilities are pleasant to use. Seoul is keen to become a safer city in which to live. As part of such efforts, the public sector works with the private to identify and resolve “safety blind spots” through a citizen organization designed to make Seoul safer. Each month, meetings are held to look into these blind spots and take a step further towards finding solutions to these potentially dangerous areas.