Office for Government Policy Coordination, Inter-Ministerial Countermeasure Meeting
Comprehensive Measures to be Developed by September
On the morning of the 8th, police, fire officials, the National Forensic Service, and representatives from Mercedes-Benz conducted a second joint inspection of the electric vehicle that caught fire on August 1st in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Cheongna, at an industrial site in Seo-gu, Incheon. 2024.8.8 [Image source=Yonhap News]
Amid growing concerns about the safety of electric vehicles (EVs), the government has decided to recommend that all manufacturers voluntarily disclose all battery information installed in domestic electric vehicles. An emergency inspection of fire safety facilities in underground apartment parking lots will also be conducted.
On the 13th, the Office for Government Policy Coordination held a vice-ministerial meeting with related ministries including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the National Fire Agency, announcing that they will prioritize implementing these EV safety management measures. The government plans to prepare a comprehensive plan by September through inter-ministerial discussions.
During the meeting, the ministries discussed various safety enhancement measures they have reviewed so far, including ▲strengthening the safety of EV batteries and charging facilities ▲establishing a rapid response system in case of fire ▲and various safety reinforcement measures for underground parking facilities, but no concrete measures were finalized.
The government explained, "We plan to specify improvement tasks comprehensively considering feasibility and the competitiveness of the EV industry," adding, "After gathering opinions from industry and experts and holding meetings with related ministries, we will coordinate improvement measures and announce a comprehensive plan next month."
Even before the plan is finalized, the government decided to implement immediate measures to prevent public anxiety. First, to reduce fire-related concerns among EV owners, a special free inspection for electric vehicles will be conducted, and all manufacturers will be recommended to voluntarily disclose battery information installed in EVs distributed domestically.
Initially, there was discussion about a mandatory battery real-name system requiring compulsory disclosure of battery information, but due to practical difficulties such as opposition from overseas automakers, the measure was downgraded to a recommendation. In this regard, Hyundai disclosed EV battery information on the 10th, Kia and BMW on the 12th, and Mercedes-Benz also disclosed battery information on the same day. Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz announced on the 13th that they will conduct free inspections for electric vehicles.
A government official explained, "We plan to recommend free inspections and battery information disclosure to other companies as well."
Alongside this, to alleviate concerns among residents of multi-unit housing, the government will push for emergency inspections of fire safety facilities such as sprinklers in underground parking lots of apartment complexes above a certain scale.
Meanwhile, following the fire at a battery factory in Hwaseong in June, the government formed a large-scale inter-ministerial task force (TF) to improve disaster risk factors. The TF, led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, consists of four teams: Industrial Complex Underground Facilities Improvement Team (led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), Underground Charging Station Improvement Team (led by the Ministry of Environment), Battery Fire Improvement Team (led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), and Nuclear Power Plant, Dam, and Communication Network Improvement Team (led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety).
The government explained that the Ministry of Environment led fire and safety condition inspections of underground electric chargers and related facilities from July to early August, but following the apartment fire in Cheongna, Incheon on the 1st, the need for an inter-ministerial comprehensive countermeasure grew, leading to the elevation of the Office for Government Policy Coordination as the control tower to prepare a comprehensive plan.
Bang Gi-seon, head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, urged related ministries, saying, "Since this plan is directly related to the safety of the public's daily life, even before the announcement of the plan, measures that can be improved should be implemented promptly, and improvement measures should be thoroughly reviewed from the public’s perspective."
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