[2025 Audit] Jin Jong-oh Urges Stronger Fire Curtain Installation Standards for Performance Venues

Only National and Public Venues with Over 1,000 Seats Required to Install Fire Curtains
Raising the Threshold to 300 Seats and Including Private Performance Venues

People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh argued on October 14 at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit that the criteria for mandatory installation of fire curtains in performance venues should be strengthened.

He emphasized that the current regulation, which requires the installation of fire curtains only in national and public performance venues with more than 1,000 seats, should be expanded to include national and public venues with more than 300 seats, and that private performance venues should also be subject to this requirement.

Jin Jong-oh pointed out that the overall installation of fire curtains and fire safety management in performance venues is fundamentally inadequate, criticizing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for its complacent response, which he said puts the lives of the public at risk.

People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh [Photo by Yonhap News]

Presenting photos of a performance venue he visited in August, Jin said, "Performance venues are high-risk spaces where special effects such as flames, fireworks, and smoke are frequently used. However, densely hung fabric screens, dust, and tangled wires were everywhere," adding, "In such a structure, even a small spark could instantly lead to a fire." He continued, "Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism allocated 2.73 billion won in 2017 to establish a KS standard reflecting a fire curtain pressure resistance of 450 pascals (Pa), this requirement is missing from the actual installation criteria," criticizing it as "a clear case of budget waste at the expense of public safety."

The pressure resistance of fire curtains is a minimum safety standard designed to ensure that the curtain can withstand pressure differences caused by rising temperatures during a fire, thereby securing evacuation time for the audience. This requirement is already mandatory in major advanced countries such as the United States and those in Europe.

Jin Jong-oh also pointed out that the obligation to install fire curtains is currently limited to national and public performance venues with more than 1,000 seats. He stated, "Last year, out of 15.28 million performance venue users, 72% used national and public venues with fewer than 1,000 seats (4.32 million people) and private performance venues (6.63 million people)," stressing that "the majority of the public remains exposed to safety blind spots."

According to the current Enforcement Rules of the Performing Arts Act, the requirement for fire curtain installation applies only to national and public performance venues with more than 1,000 seats. Small and medium-sized performance venues, including private venues with more than 1,000 seats, are effectively excluded from institutional protection.

Jin also highlighted that more than half of the performance venues under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have not installed fire curtains, and that the authority to impose fines lies with local governments, making effective enforcement difficult. In the case of national and public performance venues under local governments, even if fire curtains are not installed, the local government itself is responsible for imposing fines, rendering the penalty provisions virtually ineffective.

Jin further noted that due to a lack of personnel responsible for securing budgets on the ground, many local performance venues are unable to even apply for related projects, and he called for active support and additional staffing from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In response, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young stated, "Fire curtain installations are currently underway in national and public performance venues with more than 1,000 seats, and we will make sure to address any missing standards." He also said, "We agree with the need for fire safety measures in venues with 300 to 1,000 seats and will consider institutional improvements."

In August, Jin Jong-oh sponsored a bill to expand the mandatory installation of fire curtains to include mid-sized performance venues with more than 300 seats and to require KS pressure resistance standards at levels equivalent to those in advanced countries such as the United States and Europe.