Kim Dong-yeon Briefs at Hwaseong Fire Scene... "24-Hour Integrated Support Center Operated for Victims and Bereaved Families"

"Priority Support for Victims' Livelihood Stability"
"Funeral Procedures for Foreign Victims According to Bereaved Families' Wishes"
"Dedicated Staff for Foreign Bereaved Families, Support for Airfare and Accommodation if Needed"
"Thorough Inspection of Advanced Industries and Lithium Battery Sites in the Province, Including Energy and Semiconductors"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is holding a press briefing at the fire site of a primary battery manufacturer in Hwaseong City on the 24th.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced that a 24-hour "Integrated Support Center" will be operated to support the victims and bereaved families of the fire at the primary battery factory in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province. He also promised to provide maximum support for the injured's livelihood stabilization and for the funerals of the many foreign victims, including airfare and living expenses for the bereaved families. Additionally, an emergency inspection will be conducted on hazardous chemical sites within the province to prevent recurrence of such accidents.

Governor Kim held a briefing at the fire accident site on the 24th and explained the future response plans prepared through the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting.

He first pledged, "We will establish an Integrated Support Center inside Hwaseong City Hall and operate it 24 hours a day to ensure there are no gaps in support for the bereaved families and the injured." He added, "We will assign provincial employees one-on-one to the facilities where the deceased and injured are placed to ensure support procedures such as legal and insurance consultations for the deceased and bereaved families are carried out."

He also emphasized, "We will do our best to support the livelihood stabilization of the injured and the recovery of damages at the disaster site."

Furthermore, he stated, "It has been identified that among the 22 deceased, 20 were foreign victims. We will do our utmost to ensure that the funeral procedures for the foreign victims are carried out according to the wishes of the bereaved families." He added, "Dedicated staff will be assigned to the foreign bereaved families, and if necessary, we will provide one-stop services including airfare, living expenses, and interpretation services."

Governor Kim said, "Alongside the accident response, we will also do our best to identify the cause and establish measures to prevent recurrence." He stressed, "Gyeonggi Province has 5,934 hazardous chemical sites and 86 lithium-related sites, including advanced industries such as energy and semiconductors and lithium battery businesses within the province. We will conduct a thorough inspection of these sites and establish recurrence prevention measures to ensure such incidents do not happen again."

Meanwhile, Cho Sun-ho, Head of the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters, explained the accident status on the same day, saying, "So far, there have been 22 confirmed deaths, and these individuals have been dispersed and placed in five nearby funeral homes and hospitals. There are two seriously injured and six lightly injured patients who inhaled smoke but do not need to go to the hospital." He added, "Finally, one missing person still remains."

Regarding the cause of the fire, Head Cho said, "Since the fire occurred in the battery packing area, it is believed that ignition happened due to an unknown cause during work." He added, "The cause will be investigated in detail by a joint inspection involving the fire department, police, and National Forensic Service after all missing persons are found."