Elementary School Brothers Cause Fire While Cooking Ramen... Jeong Sye-gyun Calls for "Measures to Prevent Recurrence"

According to the Michuhol-gu Fire Station in Incheon, on the 14th, an elementary school-aged brother and sister caused a fire while cooking ramen in a villa in Michuhol-gu. Photo provided by Incheon Fire Headquarters. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] In Incheon, elementary school brothers who were unable to attend school due to remote classes tried to cook ramen to solve their meals but caught fire and suffered burns. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed his sorrow on the 16th, saying, "I earnestly hope the children regain consciousness as soon as possible."

On the same day, Prime Minister Chung wrote on his Facebook, "In Incheon, elementary school brothers caught fire while cooking ramen and have not regained consciousness even after two days. It is truly heartbreaking," he said.

According to the Michuhol Fire Station in Incheon, at around 11:10 a.m. on the 14th, brothers A (10) and B (8) caught fire while trying to cook ramen in a villa in Michuhol-gu. A suffered burns on 40% of his body, and B suffered burns on 5%, but both are reported to be in critical condition due to injuries to internal organs.

The brothers were trapped in their home on the 2nd floor of a 4-story villa and called 119 for help. However, A only said the name of the villa and repeatedly shouted "Help me," so the fire authorities tracked the phone location to identify the fire site and carried out extinguishing operations.

The brothers come from a basic livelihood security household and usually ate school meals, but recently, due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), schools have been conducting remote classes, and they tried to prepare their own meals, which led to this accident.

According to the Michuhol-gu Fire Station in Incheon, on the 14th, an elementary school-aged brother and sister caused a fire while cooking ramen in a villa in Michuhol-gu. Photo provided by Incheon Fire Headquarters. / Photo by Yonhap News

Prime Minister Chung said, "It is even more heartbreaking because this happened while they were taking care of their meals themselves during remote classes due to the spread of COVID-19."

He added, "I just spoke with Mayor Park Nam-chun of Incheon. I confirmed the children's situation and heard explanations about Incheon City's emergency support measures. We also exchanged opinions on gaps and blind spots in welfare."

He emphasized, "The government will also hasten to prepare measures to prevent recurrence. We will thoroughly monitor to ensure practical measures are prepared for children in care blind spots due to COVID-19."

Meanwhile, their mother, Ms. C (30), was reported by neighbors three times for neglecting the children.

The Michuhol Police Station in Incheon announced that Ms. C was booked without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act and was sent to the prosecution last month. The Incheon Child Protection Agency recommended improving the home environment at the time of the report, but after the third report, fearing neglect and abuse, they requested a police investigation.

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