Comprehensive Safety Inspection of 408 High-Rise and Underground-Connected Complex Buildings Nationwide

Seoul Federation of Korean Industries Building Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Room view.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 24th that it will conduct an on-site inspection by the end of this year to verify the initial disaster response readiness of supertall buildings and underground-connected complex buildings.

The inspection targets a total of 408 locations, including 117 supertall buildings nationwide and 291 underground-connected complex buildings. Following the fire incident at a residential-commercial complex apartment in Ulsan last month, the agency will focus on verifying the proper installation and operation of evacuation safety zones, whose importance has increased, and will inspect fire facilities and equipment, disaster response, and support systems.

The inspection will be conducted under the supervision of city and provincial disaster management departments, with participation from fire, architectural, and private experts. The National Fire Agency will randomly select some targets for re-inspection.

The main inspection items include ▲whether disaster prevention and damage mitigation plans have been established ▲designation and training completion of a general disaster manager ▲installation and compliance of comprehensive disaster control rooms ▲installation and operation of evacuation safety zones ▲operation of initial response teams and establishment of training plans ▲and establishment of emergency contact networks.

Inspection results will be distributed on-site, and any violations will be subject to correction orders, with serious matters leading to legal action.

Previously, in the first half of 2020, the National Fire Agency detected 171 deficiencies at 24 locations, resulting in 51 correction orders, 1 fine, 7 notifications to related agencies, and 108 on-site corrections. Major issues included failure to establish disaster prevention and damage mitigation measures and evacuation plans, lack of staffing (3 persons) in comprehensive disaster control rooms, inadequate formation of initial response teams, and failure to establish evacuation guidance and publicity plans for residents.

In this inspection, virtual drills will also be conducted for at least one location per city and province. The general disaster manager on-site will be given a simulated disaster situation to verify initial response capabilities.

Officials who actively perform safety management duties for supertall buildings and others, as well as excellent management entities (individuals or groups) among facilities without fire or safety accidents, will be identified and awarded commendations.

Choi Byung-il, Director of the Fire Policy Bureau at the National Fire Agency, stated, "Since fire plans for supertall buildings and underground-connected complex buildings are stricter than for other buildings, we will encourage excellent companies that manage these well and disseminate exemplary cases to motivate other facility managers."

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