Another Safety Negligence? The 'Icheon Disaster' Feels Vivid... The Tragedy of Yongin Logistics Center Fire

Another Logistics Warehouse Fire in Three Months... Safety Negligence Persists
Citizens Express Concern Over "Lax Safety Management... Repeated Issues"
Experts Point Out "A Society That Does Not Take Responsibility Even When at Fault"

On the morning of the 21st, firefighters were extinguishing a fire at a logistics center in Jeil-ri, Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] The fire at the SLC logistics center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in 13 casualties, is being pointed out as a man-made disaster caused by safety negligence. Earlier, the cause of the Icheon logistics center fire disaster in April, which claimed 38 lives, was also criticized as a man-made disaster, raising concerns among some that another tragedy might occur.

Experts emphasized that strict punishment for those responsible for causing the fire is necessary to prevent repeated man-made disasters.

According to fire authorities, a fire broke out at around 8:29 a.m. on the 21st at the SLC logistics center located in Jeil-ri, Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City, a building with 4 floors above ground and 5 basement levels.

The fire was extinguished by around 10:30 a.m., two hours after it started, but during the search and rescue operation, five workers were found dead on the 4th basement floor. Additionally, there were injuries including one critically injured and seven with minor injuries.

A joint investigation team consisting of seven organizations, including the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters, and the National Forensic Service, concluded that the fire likely started in a corner of the freezer warehouse on the 4th basement floor.

This logistics center had also experienced an accident in October 2017 while under construction. While dismantling temporary equipment between a retaining wall and a soil slope, the retaining wall collapsed under the weight of sliding soil. At that time, one person died and nine were injured.

At the site of a fire at a logistics warehouse construction site in Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, where a large number of casualties occurred, police, fire authorities, and National Forensic Service officials conducted a joint inspection on the morning of April 30.

As a result, there are criticisms that the fire was caused by safety negligence due to poor management. Furthermore, the Yongin logistics center fire occurred less than three months after the Icheon disaster, leading to criticism that measures to prevent recurrence are insufficient.

It is pointed out that fire prevention was not properly implemented despite learning from the previous major disaster. Given this situation, public outcry is mounting.

Office worker Kim (29) said, "I believe the repeated accidents are indeed man-made disasters. Workers must strictly follow safety rules, but more importantly, it is the safety inspection status of the managers." He added, "If these were not properly followed, I think the company bears a great responsibility."

Another office worker in his 40s, Park, said, "I don't see any difference between the Icheon disaster and the Yongin fire," and expressed frustration, saying, "Isn't the most important thing human lives? I don't understand why they respond so complacently."

Experts stressed that if the cause of the disaster is man-made, institutional improvements must be made to clearly identify responsibility and prevent recurrence.

Jung Jaehee, an emeritus professor in the Department of Safety Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, stated in a presentation titled "Safety Negligence Leads to Disasters" at the 2018 Future Safety and Health Forum, "The reason why disaster safety accidents caused by safety negligence continue is because it is a 'society where people are not held accountable even if they make mistakes.'" He pointed out, "Although 90% of industrial safety accidents are man-made, 84% of the total budget of about 300 billion won is focused on reducing physical risk factors such as safety and health facility improvements."

He continued, "The budget for projects related to 'reducing human causes,' which is highly related to safety negligence, such as safety and health technical guidance for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, is only about 10%, so improvements and supplements are necessary."

Meanwhile, the police plan to review whether additional investigations are needed based on the overall investigation. To determine responsibility for the fire, they will investigate company officials and, if necessary, conduct search and seizure operations.

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