"No Safety Equipment or Rescue Personnel"... Safety Blind Spot in 'Valley Water Play'

122 Water-Related Deaths Over 5 Years
Valleys Account for 31.9%, Highest Rate
Legal Gaps Leave Blind Spots Unaddressed

As the peak vacation season approaches, concerns about water play safety accidents are growing. Experts emphasize the need for related legislation, pointing out that valleys, unlike beaches, are left as 'safety blind spots' due to insufficient lifeguards and facilities.

Citizens visiting the valley under Bukhansan in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, are cooling off in the valley.
Photo by Heo Young-han

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there were a total of 119 water play accidents in the past five years (2019?2023), resulting in 122 deaths. The leading cause of death was 'poor swimming skills' with 44 cases, followed by 'lack of safety awareness' with 40 cases, and 'drunk swimming' with 21 cases. Regarding accident locations, valleys accounted for the largest share with 39 deaths (31.9%), followed by rivers and streams with 37 deaths (30.3%), and beaches with 32 deaths (26.2%).

Beaches are required to comply with safety standards such as deploying lifeguards, equipping powered rescue devices, installing watchtowers, and placing buoys in swimming areas under the 'Act on the Use and Management of Beaches.' In contrast, there are no safety management laws related to inland water areas such as valleys and rivers. In September 2021, a partial amendment to the 'Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety' that would have established a legal basis for water play safety management in valleys and rivers was referred to the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee’s bill subcommittee but was automatically discarded as the 21st National Assembly ended.

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "There have been many criticisms about inadequate water play safety management in valleys and rivers, and we made efforts to establish a legal basis once, but it was discarded with the end of the 21st National Assembly. There is a possibility of pushing it again in the 22nd National Assembly with improved content."

Given this situation, safety management for water play in valleys and rivers is currently handled independently by local governments through ordinances. Local governments designate 'water play safety zones,' broadly divided into 'safety management zones' and 'danger zones' to prevent accidents. The safety management zone refers to areas specially managed by local governments through deploying lifeguards and installing safety facilities. Danger zones are areas where fatal accidents have occurred in the past or where there is a high risk of future accidents, and water play is prohibited there. As of May this year, there are 1,083 safety management zones and 263 danger zones nationwide.

Nevertheless, local governments are struggling to deploy lifeguards and facilities in water play safety management zones. Due to the characteristics of valleys and rivers mainly located in rural areas with many elderly residents, it is not easy to find lifeguards to stay in the valleys, and budget shortages are also an issue.

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "At least lifeguards who can work for more than three months need to be hired, but it is difficult to find personnel in rural areas due to aging populations. Moreover, since local governments try to solve this with their own budgets, there are many difficulties." He added, "To prevent water play accidents during the upcoming vacation season, it is essential to wear life jackets before entering the water and never enter danger zones where water play is prohibited."

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