Seoul City Conducts 'Joint Special Fire Safety Inspections' at 18 Logistics Warehouses to Prevent Fires and Safety Accidents

Joint Inspections with Jichigu and Fire Stations at 18 Locations by October Following 12 Sites in June-July
Checking Sprinkler Functionality and Obstruction of Evacuation Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 8th that it will complete a comprehensive inspection to prevent fire and safety accidents at 30 small and large logistics warehouses in Seoul by October, in cooperation with fire stations and autonomous districts.

Following the inspection of 12 large logistics warehouses (over 5,000㎡) in Seoul from June to July this year, Seoul will conduct a joint special inspection of 18 small logistics warehouses under 5,000㎡ from the 8th to the 29th for three weeks. Since logistics warehouse fires, such as the Coupang logistics center fire in Icheon last June, can potentially lead to major accidents, the comprehensive inspection aims to more thoroughly manage fire-causing factors and prevent fire and safety accidents.

The inspection targets for the second half of the year include a total of 18 warehouses: 17 warehouses under 5,000㎡ that conducted self-inspections in the first half of the year, plus one newly registered warehouse after July. These 18 warehouses are located in Gangseo-gu (7), Seongdong-gu (4), Yeongdeungpo-gu (3), Dobong-gu (1), Guro-gu (1), Geumcheon-gu (1), and Gangnam-gu (1). Since logistics warehouses often handle large quantities of combustible materials such as cardboard boxes, vinyl, and stickers, fires can quickly escalate into large-scale fires and produce toxic smoke, causing greater damage. Therefore, Seoul emphasizes that it is crucial to meticulously manage fire-causing factors during normal times.

The joint inspection team consists of three members, including firefighters and public officials. They will visit the sites directly to thoroughly check whether firefighting facilities and equipment such as sprinklers, fire extinguishers, and firewalls are functioning properly, and whether evacuation facilities are obstructed by stored items or have been arbitrarily altered in violation of building laws. They will also examine the status of disaster management systems, such as whether disaster liability insurance is subscribed and whether emergency contact networks are established.

Seoul plans to provide guidance to immediately address minor issues on-site based on inspection results, and for serious issues, it will request follow-up measures from the companies and verify the results later.

Furthermore, Seoul intends to continue conducting regular joint special inspections of logistics warehouses in the city. Baek Ho, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Transportation Office, said, "We will carefully inspect the sites to proactively identify fire-causing factors and thoroughly check follow-up measures if any issues arise, thereby strengthening safety management. We will also continue to manage logistics warehouses regularly to prevent large-scale fires in advance."

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