"Need to Inspect Apartments in Sprinkler Blind Spots
and the Actual Conditions of Child Neglect"
In response to a series of tragic incidents in which children have died in consecutive fires in Busan, the Presidential Office has ordered senior officials and working-level staff from relevant ministries to be urgently dispatched to Busan to assess the situation on the ground and to prepare comprehensive countermeasures.
On July 4, Kang Yoojeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, stated during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office, "Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoonshik has requested the Minister for Government Policy Coordination to take sincere follow-up measures," adding, "He has instructed senior officials and working-level staff from the relevant ministries to be urgently dispatched to Busan to offer condolences to the bereaved families."
Chief Secretary Kang also ordered that the relevant agencies inspect the situation on site and analyze the structural causes behind the repeated accidents before preparing comprehensive countermeasures. Spokesperson Kang said, "Chief Secretary Kang emphasized the need to review necessary measures such as inspecting apartments that fall into blind spots for sprinkler installation and investigating the actual conditions of child neglect, and requested close cooperation from the Minister for Government Policy Coordination."
The previous day, a heartbreaking incident occurred in Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, where two sisters?a third-grade elementary school student (8 years old) and a kindergarten student (6 years old)?who had been left at home without their parents, died in an apartment fire. The fire broke out on the sixth floor of the apartment; the younger sister was found in front of the inner door by the entrance, while the older sister was discovered in front of the living room balcony. The sisters were found by firefighters who responded to the scene and were transported to a nearby university hospital, but were pronounced dead.
According to the police, the sisters had returned home with their mother about 20 minutes before the fire, and it is reported that the mother left the house two minutes later. Neighbors assumed that the parents had gone out to work, as they operate a night shop near the apartment.
Due to the fire, over 100 residents were evacuated. Most of the interior of the home was destroyed by the fire, and the fire department estimated property damage at approximately 28 million won. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It was reported that there were severe burn marks in the living room and in front of the balcony. At the time, the apartment's automatic fire detection system was functioning properly.
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