'Elderly Residents in Ggokbang Rooms Without Even Fire Alarms'

Rapid Increase in Single-Person Households and Aging Population
Poor Elderly Living in Goshiwon and Small Rooms
Inadequate Fire Alarms and Extinguishers
Deaths Due to Inability to Evacuate During Daytime Fires

"Housing Benefits of 100,000~200,000 Won Are Insufficient
Need to Support Housing Stability with Rent Assistance"

On the morning of the 13th, forensic investigators, fire investigation teams, and other related personnel are examining the scene at a single-story house in Bukahyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, where a fire occurred.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] #On the morning of the 13th of this month, around 9:40 AM, a fire broke out in an unauthorized one-story building in Bukahyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, resulting in the death of an 89-year-old woman, A. Living alone in the house where the fire started, A made a living by selling scrap paper and waste materials, but the fire spread quickly due to the scrap paper piled up inside the house. There was no fire alarm inside the house.

#On the 30th of last month, a fire also broke out in a detached house in Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, where a 74-year-old woman, B, who lived alone, died. Fire authorities reported that the fire was caused by heating equipment, but B was unable to evacuate and died from smoke inhalation. There was no fire alarm installed, so the fire was not detected in time.

Recent fatal fire incidents have caused significant damage despite occurring during daytime hours. The victims were elderly. Elderly people with limited mobility were unable to evacuate despite the fire and died. There have been repeated incidents of elderly people living alone or making a living by collecting scrap paper dying in fire accidents. There are calls for institutional support for the elderly who are pushed into poor living environments lacking basic firefighting facilities such as fire alarms and fire extinguishers.

According to the police and the National Fire Agency, over the past seven years (2012?2018), more than 300,000 fire incidents occurred, resulting in 1,037 deaths. Among the deceased, 516 were elderly aged 60 or older, accounting for 49.8%. Especially, those aged 70 and above had a mortality rate 1.5 to 20 times higher than other age groups.

Fire deaths in poor living environments such as goshiwon (small, cheap rooms for students or workers) and jjokbang (tiny rooms) are also increasing. These poor housing facilities often lack basic firefighting equipment such as fire alarms or extinguishers. Since 2017, installation of fire alarms and extinguishers has been mandatory in general houses, but as of last year, the adoption rate in South Korea was only 49%. The price of a fire alarm is only about 10,000 KRW.

The repeated fire deaths among the elderly are largely due to impoverished seniors being forced into fire-vulnerable housing environments. The housing options for elderly people with limited job opportunities are very limited. These include jjokbang and goshiwon, which can be rented for 100,000 to 200,000 KRW per month. Jjokbang and goshiwon are classified as 'non-housing' rather than houses subject to the minimum housing standards under the Housing Act (minimum area of 14㎡ (4.2 pyeong), equipped with kitchen and fire extinguisher). According to the Population and Housing Census by Statistics Korea, the number of non-housing households such as jjokbang and goshiwon increased from 57,066 households in 2005 to 129,058 households in 2010. By 2015, it more than doubled to 393,792 households. The number of people seeking such poor living environments is increasing due to the rapid rise in single-person households and aging population.

Experts point out the need to increase housing benefits that subsidize rent such as monthly rent to help stabilize housing for vulnerable groups. Eunyoung Choi, director of the Korea Urban Research Institute, said, "Currently, the housing benefits of 100,000 to 200,000 KRW per month received by basic livelihood security recipients only cover places like inns and jjokbang. It is necessary to increase public rental housing for long-term residence and expand housing benefits to guarantee the right to live in adequate housing."