SEOUL, July 28 -- When AI-powered cameras on bridges over Seoul's Han River raise the alarm that someone may be about to jump, acting quickly is vital.

The waterway is a landmark of the glittering South Korean capital, but also a frequent scene of despair in a country with one of the world's highest suicide rates.

The artificial intelligence-driven surveillance system alerts first responders if someone lingers in certain locations, enters an area deemed unsafe or picks up one of the bridges' dedicated suicide-prevention phones.

It has been strikingly effective, said Kim Jun-young, chief of the Hangang Bridge CCTV Integrated Control Centre, with the rescue rate over the river rising to more than 99 per cent from 56 per cent in 2012.

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