[2025 Audit] 72% of Performance Venues Are 'Fire Curtain-Free Safety Blind Spots'... 11 Million Visitors at Risk

Fire Curtain Installation Only Mandatory for National and Public Venues with Over 1,000 Seats
Jin Jongoh Proposes Bill to Expand Requirement to Venues with Over 300 Seats

Yonhap News Agency

Concerns have been raised that the installation of fire curtains and fire safety management at domestic performance venues are inadequate, posing a threat to public safety. In particular, since the requirement to install fire curtains is limited to national and public venues with more than 1,000 seats, it has been revealed that most small and medium-sized venues are effectively left in a safety blind spot.

On October 14, Assemblyman Jin Jongoh presented on-site photos during the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit, emphasizing, "Performance venues are high-risk spaces where special effects such as fireworks and smoke are frequently used. Fabric screens are densely hung, and dust and wires are tangled together, so even a small spark could cause a fire to spread rapidly."

According to the current Enforcement Rules of the Performance Act, only national and public venues with more than 1,000 seats are required to install fire curtains. Private venues and national and public venues with fewer than 1,000 seats are excluded from institutional protection. Last year, out of 15.28 million performance venue users, 11 million-72%-used these unprotected venues.

Assemblyman Jin pointed out that although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism spent 2.73 billion won in 2017 to establish a KS (Korean Industrial Standards) regulation reflecting a fire curtain pressure resistance performance of 450 pascals (Pa), this requirement was omitted from the installation standards, resulting in wasted budget. Pressure resistance is a key factor that ensures fire curtains are not pushed out by pressure differences during a fire, securing evacuation time for the audience. This requirement is already mandatory in the United States and Europe.

It was also pointed out that more than half of the performance venues under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have not installed fire curtains, and since the authority to impose fines lies with local governments, it is difficult to enforce effective penalties. Some local venues are unable to even apply for installation projects due to a lack of staff in charge of budgeting.

In response, Minister Choi Hwiyeong of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "National and public venues with more than 1,000 seats are in the process of installing fire curtains, and we will address any missing standards. We will also consider institutional improvements for venues with 300 to 1,000 seats, taking into account the need for fire response."

Meanwhile, based on the results of an on-site inspection in August, Assemblyman Jin has sponsored a bill to expand the fire curtain installation requirement to medium-sized venues with more than 300 seats and to mandate KS pressure resistance standards equivalent to those in the United States and Europe.