Seoul City Conducts Surprise Crackdown on Illegal Acts in Multi-use Facilities... 7 Fines, 8 Orders Issued

Intensive Crackdown on Movie Theaters and Others with Increasing Visitors During Summer Vacation
7 Violations Found Among 50 Locations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters deployed 100 personnel from 50 teams of the 119 Mobile Inspection Unit to conduct surprise inspections on multi-use facilities frequently used by citizens, such as movie theaters, during the summer vacation season.

According to the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 2nd, this surprise inspection was carried out without prior notice at 50 locations (47 movie theaters, 1 department store, 2 lodging facilities) to strengthen the safety management system of multi-use facilities due to concerns about safety gaps caused by a shortage of safety management personnel, such as reduced workforce from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there are 97 movie theaters, 29 department stores, and 47 large marts operating in Seoul.

The main points of the surprise inspection included ▲ obstruction of fire-fighting facilities ▲ closure or locking of emergency exits and whether obstacles were placed on evacuation stairs and passageways. As a result of the inspection, violations were found at 7 out of the 50 locations, with a violation rate of 14%. Major violations included 'obstruction of emergency exits and evacuation routes,' 'damage to fire doors,' and 'blocking of fire-fighting facilities.' Seven cases were fined, and eight cases were ordered to make corrections by the city. Minor issues (18 cases) were corrected on-site.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters operates the '119 Mobile Inspection Unit' on a seasonal and thematic basis to fundamentally prevent illegal acts such as 'blocking fire-fighting facilities and closing emergency exits' at multi-use facilities and to eliminate fire safety blind spots.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “We will prioritize protecting citizens' safety through continuous surprise inspections of multi-use facilities,” and added, “We ask business owners and facility managers to thoroughly manage facility safety to prevent fires.”

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