Kim Dong-yeon: "Emergency Livelihood Support for Hwaseong Factory Victims from the 4th... White Paper to be Published"

"Special Joint Inspection Underway at 48 Lithium Handling Sites... 31 Completed"
"No Harmful Substances Detected in Water Pollution Discharge Standards and Air Quality Measurement Reports"
"Requesting Institutional Improvements from Central Government and Legislation from National Assembly to Prevent Recurrence"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is holding a press conference on fire accident measures in Hwaseong at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government briefing room on the 3rd.

Gyeonggi Province will provide 'emergency livelihood stabilization funds' starting from the 4th to victims and bereaved families affected by the fire accident at the Hwaseong primary battery factory. Additionally, the province plans to publish a 'white paper' detailing the entire process of the accident and the shortcomings encountered.

On the 3rd, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon held a press conference at the briefing room of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in Suwon to explain the response measures for the Hwaseong fire accident and future prevention plans.

Governor Kim first stated, "Looking at the victims of this accident, many are daily workers or migrant laborers who are facing immediate livelihood difficulties," adding, "After deliberation and resolution by the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and discussions with civil society experts, we decided to provide emergency livelihood stabilization funds."

The support funds will be disbursed from the 4th using contingency funds. The recipients include 23 deceased, 2 seriously injured, and 6 lightly injured individuals. The deceased will receive 5.5 million KRW for three months, the seriously injured 3.67 million KRW for two months, and the lightly injured 1.83 million KRW for one month.

Governor Kim said, "It is unprecedented for a local government to provide emergency livelihood stabilization funds," and added, "While it is the principle that the company responsible for the accident should provide support to the victims, Gyeonggi Province will first settle this support fund along with airfare and accommodation expenses for the bereaved families, and later seek reimbursement from the company."

Gyeonggi Province will also publish a 'white paper' to thoroughly investigate the facts and establish measures to prevent recurrence.

Governor Kim stated, "There were many shortcomings and regrets in various aspects such as the cause of the accident, initial response, action guidelines, post-accident handling, identification, and support for bereaved families," and added, "We will document the problems and regrets that emerged throughout the entire accident process in the white paper."

He continued, "Thorough fact-finding and reflection on the accident begin with introspection, but as seen in previous incidents like the Sewol ferry disaster and the Itaewon tragedy, there were many issues," emphasizing, "The white paper we are preparing will serve as a comprehensive disaster prevention and response report as well as a guideline."

Furthermore, he promised, "This accident has revealed gaps in central government systems, and we will meticulously identify these and actively demand system improvements from the central government and legislative action from the National Assembly to address structural problems."

Regarding concerns about contaminated water leakage and air pollution near the accident site, Governor Kim said, "An investigation of 30 items including heavy metals and ecological toxicity at three locations found no exceedance of water pollution discharge standards, and no harmful substances were detected in air quality measurements," adding, "We will continue to strengthen monitoring to ensure residents feel safe."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province is conducting special joint inspections of 48 workplaces where lithium manufacturing processes are carried out. As of the 2nd, inspections have been completed at 31 sites, uncovering a total of nine violations including five cases of hazardous material handling violations. Six of these cases will be referred to the prosecution, three will be fined, and 12 fire safety violations have been issued correction orders.