Gyeonggi Province Commemorates Victims on First Anniversary of Hwaseong Arisel Fire Disaster

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province commemorated the first anniversary of the fire at the battery factory in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong City, honoring the victims and offering condolences to the bereaved families.

The memorial service was organized by the Arisel Major Disaster Countermeasures Committee and the Association of Victims’ Families, and hosted by the Jogye Order Social Labor Committee. Attendees paid tribute to the deceased through offerings such as laying flowers and pouring water.

Kim Dae-soon, the Second Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, did not deliver a separate memorial address, but personally greeted each bereaved family member, saying, "Although a year has passed, the sorrow of that day remains with us," and conveyed that "Gyeonggi Province will not forget the pain of the bereaved families and will stand by them until the end."

The fire at the Hwaseong lithium battery factory on June 24 last year resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including 5 Koreans, 17 Chinese nationals, and 1 Laotian. Immediately after the accident, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon visited the site and promised "responsible management and prevention of recurrence." Since then, Gyeonggi Province has implemented various follow-up measures.

A memorial service is being held on the 24th to mark the first anniversary of the Arisel fire disaster in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

Gyeonggi Province was the first in the country to provide a total of 148.48 million won as "Gyeonggi-type disaster consolation payments" to 33 victims of major industrial accidents. This measure was decided in consideration of the lengthy compensation process and the fact that most victims were subcontracted or dispatched workers and foreigners.

In addition, to institutionalize the prompt provision of consolation payments, the province revised the "Ordinance on Relief and Recovery Support for Social Disasters in Gyeonggi Province" and established a legal basis for disaster consolation payments, which has been in effect since January this year.

Furthermore, in July last year, Gyeonggi Province established the nation’s first "Immigrant Society Bureau" to lay the policy foundation for protecting the rights and safety of immigrants. The province has also drawn up and is implementing a comprehensive plan for an immigrant society, which includes four major areas and 33 specific tasks such as industrial accident prevention.

Gyeonggi Province also decided to strengthen firefighting capacity in the area surrounding the accident site. The province has begun establishing a specialized safety center for chemical rescue, equipped with pumps, chemical response, ambulance, decontamination, engineering, and transport equipment, with the goal of opening in 2028.