Foreign Fire Death in Pension Tragedy... Lunar New Year Holiday Marred by Accidents and Incidents

Significant Crime 112 Reports Decrease

The site of the pension accident in Donghae-si, Gangwon, where a family of six died in a tragedy presumed to be caused by a gas explosion during the Lunar New Year, was densely cordoned off with police lines on the morning of the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Theft and domestic violence cases, which used to occur frequently during the Lunar New Year holidays every year, have somewhat decreased this year. In particular, the number of traffic accident injuries has dropped sharply. However, the police's efforts to prevent accidents were overshadowed by the 'Donghae Pension Gas Explosion' disaster that occurred on Lunar New Year's Day.

According to the National Police Agency on the 28th, 112 emergency reports of major crimes during the Lunar New Year holidays decreased by an average of 6.5% per day compared to the previous year. By crime type, theft decreased by 9.2%, and domestic violence by 7.3%. Especially in Seoul, the number of domestic violence reports was 880, down 18.1% from 1,075 last year. Preventive activities such as prior monitoring of families at risk of repeated domestic violence and crime prevention diagnostics in places vulnerable to theft crimes, such as jewelry stores and convenience stores, were evaluated as effective.

Additionally, during the same period, the average daily number of traffic accident deaths was 3.7, and injuries were 395.3, which decreased by 17.8% and 49.1%, respectively, compared to last year's Lunar New Year. The police deployed 24 unmarked patrol cars, 11 helicopters, and 10 drones to intensively manage traffic conditions and cracked down on 2,783 cases of reckless and selfish driving. Overall, the public safety situation was better than in previous holidays.

However, the holiday was not entirely peaceful due to various incidents causing casualties. On the afternoon of the 25th, Lunar New Year's Day, a gas explosion occurred in a second-floor room of a pension in Mukhojin-dong, Donghae-si, Gangwon Province, killing six out of seven family members, and two customers in a first-floor sashimi restaurant were hospitalized after inhaling smoke. The family, consisting of sisters, couples, and cousins in their 50s to 70s, had gathered to console each other after the loss of a family member and tragically suffered the accident, evoking sympathy from those around them. The pension was confirmed to be an unregistered lodging facility without a business license, revealing it as a typical 'man-made disaster.' Furthermore, around 3 p.m. on the same day, a fire broke out in a single-story house used as a dormitory for foreign workers in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, resulting in the deaths of three Thai nationals. They were confirmed to be illegal immigrants who had been employed through brokers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.