Gwangsan District in Gwangju Forms Comprehensive Countermeasure Organization for Kumho Tire Fire Response

First Meeting to Be Held in District Office Situation Room on June 2

Gwangsan District in Gwangju announced on the 1st that it will launch a comprehensive countermeasure organization, involving labor, management, civil society, and government, to respond to the fire damage at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory and to stabilize the local economy.

Black smoke is billowing from Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory due to a fire that occurred on the morning of the 17th. Photo by Song Bohyun

Gwangsan District will hold the first meeting of the "Kumho Tire Fire Response Countermeasure Meeting" at 2 p.m. on June 2 in the situation room on the second floor of the district office. This emergency response organization aims to address the complex issues caused by the fire, such as the suspension of factory operations, the resulting management crisis, job insecurity, and damage to residents, through solidarity within the local community.

The meeting will be attended by 23 representatives from labor, business and economic sectors, civil society, local members of the National Assembly, and city and district councils, representing all stakeholders.

The countermeasure meeting will focus on preparing employment stability measures that reflect the opinions of the Kumho Tire labor union, ensuring prompt compensation for affected residents, restoring normal factory operations and promoting mutual prosperity in the local economy, and securing comprehensive government support, such as designating the area as an employment crisis zone. In addition, various opinions regarding the potential relocation of the Gwangju factory will be collected.

Park Byungkyu, the head of Gwangsan District, stated, "Although the fire at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory has been extinguished, the response to the damage is only just beginning." He added, "We will focus the region's capabilities around the countermeasure meeting to support the recovery of affected residents, restore daily life, resolve job insecurity, and overcome the economic downturn in the region."