Kim Dong-yeon Pays Tribute at Hwaseong Fire Victims Joint Memorial Altar... "Focus on Industrial Safety and Migrant Worker Measures"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is paying tribute by laying flowers at the joint memorial altar set up on the first floor of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building in Suwon on the 26th.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon identified industrial safety and measures for migrant workers as priorities following the Hwaseong factory fire incident. Governor Kim expressed his determination to ensure that this time, the post-incident measures will be implemented differently, not just empty words.

On the morning of the 26th, after paying respects at the 'Hwaseong Factory Fire Victims Joint Memorial Altar' set up in the lobby on the first floor of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building, Governor Kim spoke to the media explaining the accident response and additional measures.

Governor Kim emphasized that the recovery of bodies, identification, and funerals according to the wishes of the bereaved families must be carried out swiftly. He then stated his intention to focus on implementing solid industrial safety and migrant worker policies going forward.

He added, "I realized that we need to establish practical industrial safety measures for workplaces or factories vulnerable to hazardous substances or safety risks," and explained, "Since many of the workers came as dispatched laborers, it is presumed they did not receive information or training on how to handle dangerous situations. We will thoroughly review safety education for employees working in industrial sites."

Furthermore, he said, "(Those who lost their lives) are people working for our companies. I believe we must address safety issues without discrimination," and added, "We will start with safety and medical issues and create effective measures."

In particular, he pointed out, "If migrant workers cannot go to the hospital even when they are sick, that represents a significant blind spot in human rights," and stated, "We will explore ways to address the medical and health issues of migrant workers, focusing on Gyeonggi Province public medical centers and private medical institutions."

Moreover, he remarked, "Usually, after such tragedies, there are only verbal ceremonies without follow-through. Gyeonggi Province will make sure to do things differently this time," indicating that the Itaewon tragedy would serve as a lesson or cautionary example.

He also said, "Going to the site immediately after the accident and holding three briefings there are Gyeonggi Province’s own lessons learned from the government's poor response," and emphasized, "The first step to preventing recurrence is to identify causes and responsibilities and to develop proper measures. We will do our utmost to ensure such incidents never happen again."

Earlier, on the evening of the 25th, Governor Kim met with bereaved families at Hwaseong City Hall and, on his way back, called Woo Jong-su, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, requesting swift cooperation to expedite identification and handover of bodies so that the families could proceed with funeral arrangements.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province set up joint memorial altars at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building in Gwanggyo, Suwon, and the Northern Office in Uijeongbu, and flew flags at half-mast to mourn the victims of the fire.

At 8:30 a.m. that day, after offering flowers at the joint memorial altar, Governor Kim wrote in the condolence book, "Sincerely praying for the repose of the souls. We will re-examine and properly establish industrial safety and migrant worker measures."