Preventing a Second 'Soundproof Tunnel Fire'... Ruling Party Submits Amendment Bill

Assemblyman Choi Chunsik to Submit Related Bill Amendment Soon

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The ruling party has initiated legislation to prevent a 'second Gwacheon soundproof tunnel fire.' On the 3rd, Choi Chun-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee from the People Power Party, announced plans to submit a bill to make the material of soundproof tunnels 'non-combustible' and to mandate the installation of fire-fighting facilities within soundproof tunnels.

On the 29th of last month, a fire in the soundproof tunnel on the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway in Gwacheon City resulted in 5 deaths and 41 injuries. It has been analyzed that the fire was exacerbated by the soundproof tunnel made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a material that ignites easily even at low ignition points and liquefies to burn for a long time once ignited.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, due to the government's lax management guidelines for soundproof tunnels and the lack of legal binding force, the plan is to propose an amendment to the law that adds regulations requiring the material of soundproof tunnels to be non-combustible. Representative Choi plans to submit amendments to the Road Act and the Act on the Installation and Management of Fire-Fighting Facilities (Fire Facilities Act) to the National Assembly, legally establishing fire safety standards for soundproof tunnels, including requiring non-combustible materials and mandating the installation of fire-fighting facilities in soundproof tunnels.

Representative Choi stated, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 'Guidelines for Installation and Management of Road Tunnel Disaster Prevention and Ventilation Facilities' do not include regulations requiring the material of tunnel-type soundproof facilities (above-ground soundproof tunnels) to be non-combustible," and added, "Soundproof tunnels should also be included under general tunnels to mandate the installation of fire-fighting facilities, and related regulations should be promptly revised to require soundproof tunnels to be made of non-combustible materials, as in advanced countries overseas."

On the same day, Hwang Bo-seung-hee, a member of the same party, announced plans to propose amendments to the Fire Facilities Act and the Housing Act on the 30th of last month. Representative Hwang said, "Fires in tunnels, which are enclosed on all sides, can be extremely fatal," and added, "Facilities should be improved to have both noise prevention and fire prevention functions."

Meanwhile, prompted by the Gwacheon soundproof tunnel fire, local governments are conducting their own comprehensive investigations of soundproof tunnels. While 55 soundproof tunnels are managed by the national government, it is known that local governments manage 77 soundproof tunnels in Gyeonggi Province alone.