Jung-gu Appoints 121 Members to Korea's First Merchant Safety Surveillance Team 'Meerkat Team'

121 Merchants Appointed to 'Meerkat Team' for Traditional Market Fire Inspections Nationwide
Accompany District Office Safety Checks, Manage Safety Orders, Complete Fire Drills
Nation's First Traditional Market Fire Prevention Research Project Conducted for Efficient Fire Response

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) held the launch ceremony of the ‘Merchant Safety Monitoring Team’ on May 2nd at the 7th-floor auditorium of the Jung-gu Office. The team was named the ‘Meerkat Team’ to symbolize the idea of tirelessly monitoring dangers for the safety of the community, just like meerkats.

The 121 appointed monitors consist of merchant association presidents and safety managers from 37 traditional markets and alley-type shopping districts within Jung-gu. Going forward, the monitoring team will accompany the district office during safety inspections to familiarize themselves with vulnerable facilities and verify whether the district office’s safety orders are properly implemented at each store. During disaster-prone seasons such as the rainy or dry seasons, they will autonomously conduct patrol activities.

Jung-gu conducts safety inspections of traditional markets four times a year: before Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, during safety diagnosis periods, and ahead of winter. Last year, the district issued a total of 986 safety orders after thoroughly inspecting market hazards, but only 366 cases actually carried out the safety measures. Based on these results, the district concluded that government-led safety management has limitations and agreed on the need for a system where merchants autonomously manage safety, leading to the formation of the monitoring team.

There were five fires in traditional markets in Jung-gu last year, most of which were caused by safety negligence. Since the monitoring team is composed of merchants who know the market facilities better than anyone else, including aging and vulnerable infrastructure, it is expected that they will be able to perform safety management tasks more effectively.

Traditional markets are at high risk of large-scale fires due to overcrowded stores, aging facilities, and highly flammable interior and exterior building materials. Jung-gu, which houses about 50 markets including large traditional markets such as Namdaemun Market, Dongdaemun Market, Jungbu Market, Shinjungang Market, Bangsan Market, and Pyeonghwa Market, as well as alley-type shopping districts, is always deeply concerned about fire hazards.

To protect traditional markets from fires, the district has invested a total of 1.491 billion KRW in safety facility improvement projects from last year through this year, completing upgrades such as the renovation of old fire safety facilities at Cheonggye Shopping Center, replacement of fire doors at Namdaemun Market’s Kokobanga, electrical safety improvements at Namdaemun Market’s main shopping area, and installation of arc fault circuit interrupters in Donghwa-dong alley-type shopping district.

Going forward, through the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ public projects, fire alarm facilities will be installed at Hwanghak Market and Inhyeon Market, and through special adjustment grant projects, underground emergency fire extinguishing systems will be installed at Bangsan Market. Fire safety equipment improvement work is also planned for Namdaemun Market’s Daedo General Shopping Center and replacement of old fire safety facilities at Techno Shopping Center.

In addition, support is provided for joining traditional market fire insurance, and fire prevention education is conducted for merchant associations and safety managers. Regular training sessions on fire truck access and use of emergency fire extinguishing equipment are held in cooperation with Jungbu Fire Station.

For the first time nationwide, a research project on fire prevention in traditional markets is underway. This aims to systematically enhance market safety by inspecting safety facilities for each market and installing preventive facilities in appropriate locations.

Earlier, on April 24th, Jung-gu established the nation’s first public-private cooperative specialized organization for commercial district management, the ‘Traditional Market Commercial District Development Center,’ laying the foundation to introduce expertise into traditional markets by providing services such as △merchant consulting △marketing tailored to commercial district characteristics △transfer of business know-how.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, “Since stores in traditional markets are closely connected like one body, there is concern that a fire could spread widely. I hope that the monitoring team formed today will play a major role as safety guardians of the markets, protecting the property of neighboring stores as well as their own.”