"Korea's Fire Safety Level Highest ... All Key Indicators Excellent"

Among OECD Member Countries, Canada and Top
Follow-up Measures after Jecheon and Miryang Fires
Expansion of Sprinklers and Alarms
Strengthening Prevention such as 119 Life Safety Alert System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Last year, a total of 38,659 fires of various sizes occurred in South Korea, resulting in 364 deaths and 1,915 injuries, totaling 2,279 casualties. Property damage also reached 590.3 billion KRW. However, compared to other countries worldwide, South Korea was evaluated as having one of the highest levels of fire safety.

According to the "2020 World Fire Statistics" released by the International Fire Chiefs Association (CTIF), among the 25 member countries that are members of both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and CTIF, only South Korea and Canada recorded above-average results in all three fire safety indicators.

The fires that occurred in South Korea in 2018, which served as the basis for this statistic, numbered 42,338, with 369 deaths caused by fires. The fire safety indicators were 0.82 fires per 1,000 people, 0.71 fire-related deaths per 100,000 people, and 0.87 deaths per 100 fires, all lower than the world average of 25 countries, which were 1.09 fires, 1.22 deaths, and 1.08 deaths respectively. A Fire Agency official explained, "The three fire safety indicators measured by fire occurrence and casualty levels mean that the smaller the numbers, the less the damage. Both South Korea and Canada recorded above-average, top-level results globally."

Previously, the government announced the "Government-wide Fire Safety Special Measures" as follow-up measures to the 2017 Jecheon Sports Center fire and the 2018 Miryang Nursing Hospital fire accident, and the "Construction Site Fire Safety Measures" as follow-up measures to last year's Icheon logistics center fire. They have been strengthening management and supervision, including surprise inspections in the fire safety sector, to raise awareness of mass casualty risks.

From July 2018 to the end of 2019, a "Special Fire Safety Inspection" was conducted targeting buildings with high fire risk such as multi-use facilities, complex buildings, and factories. Among the total 557,056 buildings inspected, 314,351 buildings, accounting for 56.4%, were found to have one or more issues. For serious violations directly related to fire safety, such as leaving fire-fighting facilities like sprinklers broken, blocking emergency exits, illegal extensions and changes of use, removal of fire doors, failure to install circuit breakers, and faulty gas piping?totaling 20,685 cases?penalties such as fines, administrative orders, and notifications to relevant agencies were imposed, and in severe cases, criminal charges were filed. A comparative analysis of fire status before and after July 1, 2018, when the inspection began, showed that during the one year after the inspection, the number of fires and deaths decreased by 11% and 25%, respectively, compared to the previous year.

The Fire Agency also sought to change public awareness through the "Evacuate First When Fire Breaks Out" campaign, emphasizing that when a fire occurs, people should escape the fire scene rather than calling 119 or trying to extinguish the fire themselves with a fire extinguisher. Fire prevention activities were also strengthened, such as the "Fire Alarm 2580 Project" (aiming to achieve an installation rate of over 80% by 2025) to raise awareness of the importance of residential fire alarms and encourage their installation, and the "119 Life Safety Alert System," which warns about accidents that may increase during specific times or places.

A Fire Agency official said, "While the core task of firefighting is accident response, we plan to further strengthen information provision activities that analyze data from direct dispatches to accident sites and inform the public in advance about preventive measures for accidents that require special attention by time or location."