SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – A recent report has highlighted a troubling trend of fires in South Korean accommodations, with 1,843 incidents recorded between 2018 and 2023, underscoring ongoing concerns about fire safety in older buildings.
According to Yonhap News Agency, motels experienced the highest number of fires with 645 cases, followed by pensions with 328, and hotels with 273. This data comes in the wake of a catastrophic fire at a nine-story hotel in Bucheon, which resulted in seven fatalities and multiple injuries last Thursday. The severity of the incident was compounded by the absence of a sprinkler system in the building, constructed in 2003, allowing smoke to spread rapidly through the structure’s narrow corridors.
In response to increasing safety issues, South Korea revised its fire safety laws in 2005 to require sprinkler systems in all accommodations of 11 stories or higher, a mandate which was extended in 2018 to include buildings of six stories or more. Further revisions in 2022 expanded this requirement to all accommodations, regardless of height, though the changes were not made retroactive.
Amidst these regulatory updates, calls for comprehensive fire safety measures have intensified. Representative Koh Dong-jin of the ruling People Power Party has advocated for legislation to ensure all accommodations are equipped with sprinkler systems by 2027, with proposals for partial or full state financial support. However, the proposal faces opposition from small business owners concerned about the financial burden of such upgrades.
This issue is particularly pressing as over 90 percent of approximately 30,000 accommodations nationwide are housed in buildings under ten stories, with around 23,000 located in structures of five stories or fewer, highlighting the widespread nature of the risk and the critical need for updated safety measures.