Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Crack Down on Fire Safety at 60 Scrap Yards in the Province

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building Exterior

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is launching a crackdown on illegal activities such as safety management at scrapyards within the province.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 6th that from October 11 to December 9, it will conduct an intensive crackdown on violations related to hazardous material safety management and fire-fighting facilities at scrapyards in the province. The crackdown targets 60 scrapyards out of 158 across the province, focusing on those where damage is expected in the event of a disaster by city or county.

The special judicial police believe that negligence in managing waste oil generated during vehicle dismantling and careless cutting work can increase the risk of fire, and plan to prevent hazards in advance through investigations.

The main items under inspection include ▲ installing hazardous material manufacturing facilities without permission ▲ illegally storing and handling hazardous materials exceeding designated quantities ▲ violations of fire-fighting facility maintenance such as closure or blocking of fire-fighting facilities at scrapyards ▲ checking compliance with safety rules during vehicle dismantling work (welding and cutting). If violations related to soil environment and waste management are found, separate notifications will be sent to the relevant agencies.

Under the current "Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act," installing hazardous material manufacturing facilities without permission is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 100 million KRW, and storing or handling hazardous materials exceeding designated quantities in places other than storage or manufacturing facilities is punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Additionally, the "Firefighting Facilities Act" stipulates that closing or blocking fire-fighting facilities that may impair their function and performance is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 50 million KRW, and the "Basic Firefighting Act" states that failure to comply with safety rules during welding and cutting work can result in a fine of up to 2 million KRW.

Kim Min-kyung, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police, emphasized, "Businesses that continuously handle hazardous materials pose a risk of fire, so proactive measures against illegal activities are essential. We will strongly crack down on violations that threaten the safety of residents."

Meanwhile, in the past three years, 14 fires have occurred at scrapyards in the province, causing property damage worth 1.66 billion KRW. In September of this year, a fire broke out at a scrapyard in Anseong City, injuring three people.