In the Past 3 Years, 8 Dead and 17 Injured in Fires at Seoul Goshiwon

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] In the past three years, eight people have died and 17 have been injured in gosiwon fires in Seoul.

The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 30th that it analyzed fire statistics for lodging-type gosiwons from 2017 to 2019.

During this period, there were a total of 144 fire incidents in gosiwons. Among them, there were 25 casualties, including 8 deaths and 17 injuries.

By cause, there were 97 cases (67%) due to carelessness, 27 cases (19%) due to electrical factors, 6 cases (4.2%) suspected arson, and 14 cases (9.7%) others. Fires caused by carelessness were due to placing combustible materials nearby, overheating during cooking, cigarette butts, and leaving fire sources unattended. Electrical causes were due to overload and overcurrent from using octopus-style power strips.

By location, there were 14 cases (9.7%) inside gosiwon rooms, 14 cases (9.7%) in kitchens, 37 cases (25.6%) in common areas, and 79 cases (54%) others. A Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters official said, “Excluding others, many fires occur in common areas, so special attention is required for fire prevention in shared spaces used by an unspecified number of people.”

In particular, casualties from gosiwon fires were higher in gosiwons without simple sprinklers than in those with simple sprinklers. For example, on November 9, 2018, a fire at Gukil Gosiwon in Jongno-gu without a simple sprinkler caused 18 casualties (7 deaths, 11 injuries), whereas a fire at a gosiwon in Seongbuk-gu on the 19th of last month was extinguished early without casualties because it was equipped with a simple sprinkler.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters has been promoting a simple sprinkler installation support project since August last year to prevent casualties from gosiwon fires. The core of the project is to support part of the construction costs for gosiwon operators who install simple sprinklers to enhance fire safety in gosiwons. Currently, 560 lodging-type gosiwons are participating in the project, with 118 installations completed and the rest preparing for installation.

Shin Yeol-woo, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, urged, “Gosiwon operators should deeply recognize that simple sprinklers are valuable facilities that protect the safety of guests, and those who have not yet installed simple sprinklers should do so promptly.”

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