Large and Medium-Sized Campsites in Gyeonggi-do 'Unprotected Against Fire'... 78 out of 79 Sites Fail Safety Standards

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] An audit by Gyeonggi Province revealed that 78 out of 79 medium and large-sized camping sites in the province failed to meet safety standards, such as lacking safety equipment like fire extinguishers or smoke detectors.

In preparation for the summer vacation season, Gyeonggi Province conducted a special audit on camping site hygiene and safety management from May 9 to 24, jointly with seven citizen auditors. The audit targeted 79 medium and large-sized camping sites with 10 or more caravan and glamping facilities.

The province, together with citizen auditors, created an inspection manual covering fire, evacuation, order maintenance, safety accident prevention standards, and violations of campsite business registration standards. They conducted the audit by cross-checking licensing documents held by the city with each facility within the camping sites.

The audit results showed that 78 out of the 79 camping sites required improvements due to inadequate safety equipment. A total of 456 issues were identified during the audit.

For example, at Camping Site A in Gapyeong-gun, fire extinguishers, standalone smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and emergency flashlights are mandatory in glamping and caravan facilities. However, fire extinguishers and alarms were not installed, and some devices were deemed unsuitable due to battery discharge or malfunction.

Camping Site B in Yeoncheon-gun was found to be operating about 40 camping sites outside the permitted business area, and Camping Site C had additionally installed and operated about 10 glamping units and 40 camping sites without authorization.

During the audit, the province instructed city and county officials to issue on-site correction orders for matters that could be immediately rectified to prevent safety accidents. For violations of campsite business registration standards and land-related laws, on-site investigations were conducted, and business suspension (closure) or fines were requested.

Additionally, the province requested relevant departments to promote institutional improvements to specify inspection cycles for local governments to ensure safer camping site management.

Yoon Hyun-ok, the province’s audit officer, emphasized, "Although the audit targeted medium and large-sized camping sites, most failed to meet safety standards, raising concerns that small-scale, low-budget camping sites may be in even worse condition. Since safety facilities in camping sites are directly linked to residents’ lives, local government officials must conduct guidance and inspections with heightened awareness."

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