Gwangju City Recommends Special Disaster and Employment Crisis Area Designation for Kumho Tire Fire

Kang Kijeong: "Minimizing Resident Inconvenience and Focusing on Job Security"
Cooperation with Company and Government, Including Request for Employment Retention Support Funds
Damage Report Center Established in Gwangsan-gu... Efforts for Smooth Compensation

Kang Kijeong, mayor of Gwangju, held an informal meeting with attending reporters in the press room on the 5th floor of the city hall on the morning of the 19th, explaining the response to the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant fire and other matters. Provided by Gwangju City

The Gwangju city government is taking swift action to restore damages caused by the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant fire, including recommending that the central government declare the area a special disaster zone and designate it as an employment crisis area. In particular, Mayor Kang Kijeong plans to work closely with the company and the government, prioritizing the minimization of inconvenience for affected residents, the restoration of daily life, and job security for Kumho Tire workers.

On the 19th, Mayor Kang met with reporters at city hall and stated, "It is expected that it will take a considerable amount of time to resume operations and restore damages at the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant. Residents are still experiencing inconvenience, and the employment of approximately 2,350 workers may become unstable." He added, "To ensure a smooth recovery process, the city has recommended that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety declare a special disaster zone and provide special grants, and we are also pursuing the designation of an employment crisis area with the Ministry of Employment and Labor."

Since the fire broke out, the Gwangju city government has implemented emergency support measures to protect nearby residents and minimize damage. In particular, to facilitate the recovery process, the city requested the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to declare a special disaster zone and provide special grants.

To protect residents' health, the city has measured air pollution levels every hour to minimize unnecessary concern, and has focused on cleaning surrounding roads to prevent secondary damage such as the re-scattering of dust. As a result, the concentration of pollutants has returned to pre-incident average levels or is undetectable, and the city believes that outdoor activities for citizens are currently not significantly affected.

The city also took measures to block firefighting water from flowing into local streams during the suppression efforts and will continue to monitor water quality to prevent pollution. Health checkups will be conducted on firefighters who participated in the suppression efforts to confirm any exposure to hazardous substances through sampling.

Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong visited the fire site at Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan-gu on the 17th to inspect fire suppression efforts and damage status. Provided by Gwangju City

To prevent the Kumho Tire fire from escalating into a regional economic downturn and employment crisis, the city is pursuing measures such as the designation of an 'employment crisis area.' However, since the designation of an employment crisis area is a post-incident measure that occurs after actual damage has taken place, the city has decided to first recommend the provision of employment retention support funds to maintain job stability for workers. The city plans to formally submit this recommendation during a visit to the Ministry of Employment and Labor later this week.

Mayor Kang emphasized, "Above all, the most important factor in securing employment stability is the company's own efforts," adding, "The company must take active steps to ensure job security, and Gwangju City and the government will do their utmost to support these efforts."

Meanwhile, to confirm and compensate for damages suffered by residents due to the Kumho Tire fire, a damage report center was set up on the first floor of the Gwangsan-gu District Office, and damage reports have been accepted since this morning. The city will coordinate with Gwangsan-gu and Kumho Tire to ensure that affected residents receive compensation smoothly.

In response to the fire, the city sent out seven disaster safety text messages with safety guidelines, provided 28,500 masks as emergency support, made prompt decisions regarding temporary shelter relocation, and implemented measures such as cooperating with relief agencies and providing transportation for residents to minimize inconvenience in daily life.