What Tourists Should Know About The Bright Lights In The Ground In South Korea Before Visiting

Let's face it, we live in a world where our smartphones have pretty much become an extension of ourselves — especially while traveling. Whether we're planning a new trip on an itinerary app, researching local attractions, doing our best to try and communicate with the locals abroad, or just sharing travel moments on Instagram, our phones demand constant attention. As a result, it's not uncommon to see tourists wandering through foreign cities with their eyes glued to screens.

That said, this modern behavior has created its fair share of safety hazards for tourists and locals alike — especially in busy urban environments that demand a lot more attention and caution. Specifically, busy intersections and crosswalks have become particularly hazardous zones for distracted pedestrians who fail to notice changing traffic signals or oncoming vehicles, sometimes leading to some pretty serious accidents. In fact, the phenomenon has become so widespread that it has led to a new term: "smombies" (or "smartphone zombies") – a not-so-endearing way to refer to people walking around so absorbed in their devices that they basically navigate public spaces with the awareness level of the undead.

Thankfully, some countries are finding new ways to combat this growing problem. One of these is South Korea, specifically Seoul. Known for their innovative tech solutions, the Asian nation has responded to this growing safety concern — not by trying to fight against smartphone addiction (often unsuccessfully), but by taking things a step further and actually adapting their infrastructure to accommodate it. How? By installing LED traffic lights directly in the ground at crosswalks so that pedestrians can see signal changes without ever looking up from their screens. This unique strategy ultimately creates a safer environment for both travelers hoping to safely use their phones overseas and locals who can't seem to tear their eyes away from their screens.

Seoul's innovative approach to pedestrian safety began in 2019 with a trial of LED lights embedded in the pavement at crosswalks. These ground-level traffic signals were specifically created for phone-absorbed pedestrians, allowing them to notice light changes without looking up. By early 2022, the city had installed nearly 1,200 of these supplementary lights across 25 districts — with the popular neighborhood of Gangnam boasting a total of 138 in-ground signals.

At its core, the system is straightforward: Red LED strips glow along the curb when it's unsafe to cross, switching to green when pedestrians can proceed. And although it might seem like an unusual solution to a modern problem, the initiative came in response to troubling statistics regarding accidents and fatalities.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, pedestrians made up more than half of Seoul's traffic fatalities (115 of 218 deaths) in 2020, with many of these accidents attributed to people attempting to cross the street (via The Korea Herald). In addition to these pavement lights, the government also implemented a complementary alert system that notifies a pedestrian's phone directly when they're approaching a busy intersection, further enhancing safety.

Seoul's in-ground pedestrian traffic lights are just one small component of South Korea's broader "smart crossing initiative," which includes using different strategies and technologies, from artificial intelligence to radar and thermal cameras, to help create a safer environment on and off the road. This comprehensive approach — along with country-wide efforts to improve education, awareness, enforcement, and infrastructure — has already led to meaningful results. Most impressively, there was a 49.2% decrease in road deaths across the country between 2012 and 2022, with pedestrian fatalities specifically dropping by a whopping 54% (via The Korea Herald).

Better yet, what started off as an innovative safety measure specifically for South Korea's "smombies" has actually delivered some significant, unexpected benefits outside of the phone-obsessed crowd. According to local police officers, these lights have also been incredibly useful in encouraging young children to stay further away from the road. This ultimately makes the LED ground lights particularly valuable in school zones and teaches even the youngest pedestrians the importance of backing away and keeping your eyes peeled for traffic.