Fire Agency Implements 'Fire Safety Measures' Targeting 525 Movie Theaters Nationwide

Sharp Increase in Movie Theater Attendance After COVID-19... Promoted for Fire Prevention and Preparedness

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced on the 23rd that it has implemented fire safety measures targeting 525 movie theaters nationwide for one month starting July 25, to ensure that moviegoers can use theaters more safely.

This measure was taken in response to the increased fire risk following the lifting of social distancing on April 18, as the number of movie theater visitors increased 87 times in August this year compared to January last year, and recent consecutive fires occurred in movie theaters. The initiative aims to prevent and prepare for fires.

According to the National Fire Agency, a special fire inspection was conducted on 525 movie theaters, and 90 theaters (17.1%) were found to have 96 violations, including △5 fines △5 agency notifications △86 corrective orders. The issues are currently being rectified.

In particular, among the five fines for serious negligence excluding corrective orders such as fire extinguisher pressure failure and fire detector malfunction, three cases involved evacuation obstacles such as stacking objects in evacuation exits and routes, and measures were taken to prevent similar incidents.

Additionally, fire safety education including fire safety consulting was simultaneously conducted for 1,352 fire safety managers of movie theaters. Discussions were held with three major movie theater companies (CGV, Lotte Cultureworks, Megabox) on △company-specific prevention and safety management plans △maintenance and management of safety facilities and business owners' obligations △obligations of workplaces subject to serious citizen disaster regulations △recent fire causes and improvement measures, and excellent fire response cases in movie theaters.

Hwang Gi-seok, Director of Fire Prevention at the National Fire Agency, urged, “Moviegoers should carefully watch the evacuation guidance video before the movie starts and calmly evacuate by following the instructions of the staff in case of fire.”

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