Seoul Government Will Play Classical Music to Reduce Crime Rate in Urban Areas

The government in South Korea has announced that they will play classical music in poverty-stricken area of Seoul at the beginning of April in hopes of preventing crime.

"At no other time has urban safety been so important. Through this, we want residents to feel safer in their neighborhoods," said Chae Myung-joon from the Urban Safety Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Designated spots in the urban areas will receive additional surveillance cameras so authorities can monitor them.

Seoul isn’t the first place incorporate classical music in an effort for crime fighting. Europe and North America already use music to reduce the crime rate. In Kent in South East England, crime dropped dramatically after Gustav Mahler's symphonies were played in deprived areas of the county. In Palm Beach City, FL, the city government played Ludwig von Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 on a murder-ridden city street in 1999, and saw the crime rate dropp to 83 reported cases from 119 previously.

The measure is based on experts' opinions that classical music contributes to controlling minds, Chae said.

Music isn’t the only defense against crime in Seoul. The SMG has used similar anti-crime program using art as the defense. The project is called "Community Art,” and the Design Policy Department has been painting streets and walls in urban slums since 2012.

"The neighborhood was old looking. Residents there are mostly tenants who constantly move on. Revitalizing the neighborhood by getting residents together was the goal," Kang Hyo-jin from the department said, speaking of Yeomri-dong in the Mapo district. The city repaired the streets and invited the residents to participate in the painting. She said it has contributed to transforming the environment and reducing the crime rate.

The idea of using the arts for crime prevention has been around for many decades. It was born in the 1960’s in the United States, and has become an integral part of urban planning ever since then.