Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, held a press conference at Daejeon City Hall on the 28th to announce support measures and recovery plans for the victims of the fire accident at Hyundai Outlet. Photo by Daejeon City
[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “We will do our utmost to ensure there is not a single moment of negligence in supporting the bereaved families and merchants.”
On the 28th, Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, held a press briefing and announced support measures and recovery plans for the victims of the Hyundai Outlet fire accident.
The fire accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. on the 26th at the Hyundai Outlet located in Yongsan-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The fire claimed the lives of seven people, including Hyundai Outlet security staff, and caused serious injuries to one person who is currently receiving treatment.
Regarding the fire accident, Mayor Lee said, “I deeply regret that eight people were casualties and merchants suffered losses due to the unexpected Hyundai Outlet fire last Monday,” and promised, “The city will do its best to promptly support the bereaved families and affected merchants without any negligence.”
In particular, Mayor Lee emphasized, “The recovery efforts must prioritize comforting the grief of the victims’ families, including funeral procedures,” and added, “The city will take all possible measures proactively and strive to support the bereaved families in advance.”
He also stated, “To prevent similar accidents from recurring, we will thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire and quickly proceed with recovery measures, including devising future countermeasures,” and said, “To this end, the city will conduct fire safety re-inspections for large buildings and multi-use facilities in preparation for major casualties in case of accidents, and will seek ways to ensure safety from the construction stage.”
The city plans to operate a dedicated support team for the Hyundai Outlet fire accident, providing citizen safety insurance support, damage recovery loan support and interest subsidies, paid sick leave support for self-employed workers, counseling services at the Disaster Psychological Recovery Support Center, legal consultation support, and more.
Mayor Lee also promised to obtain a responsible stance and response from Hyundai Department Store to ensure that compensation for physical damage and business losses of merchants in the Hyundai Outlet is carried out promptly.
Additionally, he expressed his intention to promote the enactment of an ordinance prohibiting the installation of offices and similar facilities underground to improve the poor working conditions of workers in environmental and facility fields working at universities, large buildings, and public institutions.
Earlier, Mayor Lee suspended his overseas business trip scheduled until the 30th, urgently returned on the 27th, and has been directly leading the accident recovery efforts starting with a visit to the Hyundai Outlet fire site in Daejeon around 9 p.m. that evening.
Meanwhile, on the morning of the 28th, a funeral ceremony was held at the Chungnam National University Hospital funeral hall for one victim of the Hyundai Outlet fire accident.
Funeral ceremonies for two more victims are scheduled to take place on the 29th.
It is reported that the families of four other victims are postponing funeral arrangements, demanding a clear investigation into the cause of the fire.
The deceased in the Hyundai Outlet fire accident were subcontracted workers and laborers belonging to external service companies responsible for facility maintenance and cleaning. Autopsy results initially indicated that all died from asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
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