President Yoon Orders Proactive Measures to Prevent Another Icheon Fire Tragedy

"Must Not Forget the Sacrifice and Dedication of the Late Nurse Hyun Eun-kyung"

A fire broke out on the 5th at a hospital building in Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, and firefighters are extinguishing the fire.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 6th expressed condolences over the victims of the hospital building fire in Icheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, and urged, "Take proactive measures to thoroughly implement fire safety inspections on multi-use facilities to prevent such tragedies from happening again."

On the same day, President Yoon sent Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi and Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Ahn Sang-hoon to the funeral hall at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Icheon Hospital, where the victims' memorial service was held, to offer condolences and gave these instructions, spokesperson Kang In-sun stated in a written briefing. President Yoon especially spoke about the late nurse Hyun Eun-kyung, who stayed by the side of elderly patients until the end to evacuate them and died in the fire, saying, "She will be remembered as a true nurse who faithfully practiced the Nightingale Pledge, 'to live a righteous life and dedicate herself to the well-being of those under my care'." He emphasized, "Our government must never forget Nurse Hyun's sacrifice and dedication," Kang explained.

Chief Secretary Kim, who visited the funeral hall, told the bereaved families, "President Yoon instructed Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min to thoroughly investigate the cause and implement preventive measures so that such incidents never happen again." Kim also conveyed, "President Yoon was deeply moved and saddened by Nurse Hyun's self-sacrificing spirit. He asked me to convey his gratitude and condolences on behalf of the people."

The fire broke out around 10:17 a.m. the previous day in a four-story building housing a dialysis specialty hospital and other facilities in Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. As a result, five people died and 42 were injured. The fire started on the third-floor spring golf range, but smoke spread to the upper floors, causing four patients and one nurse on the top floor, the fourth-floor hospital, to be unable to evacuate in time and perish.