Relatives Outside Family Support Halted, Bereaved Families Say "Must Maintain Until Problem Solved"
Hwaseong City "Lack of Basis for Support to Relatives... Unavoidable Measure"
There is a conflict between Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province and the bereaved families of the 'Arisel Factory Fire Accident' over additional support for the victims' families. This comes as the city notified the families about the expiration of accommodation and meal support, prompting backlash from the families and civic groups.
According to Hwaseong City and the Arisel fire victims' families on the 9th, the city decided to extend the accommodation and meal support period for the families until the 31st of this month. However, the city plans to provide support for relatives beyond the legal family scope only until the 10th. Previously, the city had provided the same conveniences to relatives as to the bereaved families.
The scene of the fire at the Arisel factory located in Jeongok-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, which caused 31 casualties on the 24th of last month. [Yonhap News]
In response to this policy notification, local labor and civic groups held a press conference in front of the city hall memorial altar on the same day, demanding that "accommodation and meals for the bereaved families be maintained until the problem is resolved." Members of the bereaved families and civic groups also staged a protest in front of the mayor's office.
However, the city maintains that additional support for relatives outside the immediate family is realistically difficult. In fact, the 'Disaster Relief Act' stipulates that support for social disasters is subject to subrogation claims against the party responsible. Additionally, the 'Disaster Relief Plan Establishment Guidelines' temporarily limit accommodation expense support to seven days.
The city stated that since negotiations between the bereaved families and Arisel are not yet smooth and the funeral process is expected to take a long time, it decided to extend support for immediate family members until the 31st of this month and plans to provide maximum convenience. However, support for relatives beyond the legal family scope is unavoidable to be discontinued due to exclusion from subrogation claims and lack of legal grounds. According to the Disaster Relief Act, 'bereaved families' are defined as 'the deceased's spouse, direct ascendants and descendants, and siblings.'
As of the morning of the day, Hwaseong City has identified 23 families totaling 128 people in communication. Among them, there are 10 spouses of the deceased, 37 direct ascendants and descendants, 15 siblings, and 66 are relatives outside the family.
A Hwaseong City official said, "The bereaved families may find this insufficient, but the city is mobilizing all administrative resources to support them," adding, "However, please understand that the city cannot continue support indefinitely without legal grounds."
Meanwhile, as the handling of the Arisel fire accident prolongs, it is reported that Hwaseong City's general administration is virtually paralyzed. In fact, the Modunurim Center, used as a shelter for the bereaved families, has been closed since the day after the accident on the 26th of last month. During this period, 93 citizen courses scheduled for July were canceled, and the refund amount is reported to reach 90 million won.
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