Han Byung-do: "Half of Apartment Complexes in Jeonnam and Gwangju Lack 'Sprinklers'"

Gangjin 92%·Gwangju Dong-gu 63%... Large Fire Risk
Neglecting Public Safety Blind Spots... Local Governments and Fire Agency Abandon Responsibility

More than half of the apartment complexes in Jeonnam and Gwangju lack sprinkler systems, raising urgent calls for countermeasures.

According to data submitted by Jeonnam Province and Gwangju City for the National Assembly inspection on the 21st by Han Byung-do, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Iksan-eul, Jeonbuk), 917 out of 1,516 complexes (60.4%) in Jeonnam and 460 out of 1,162 complexes (39.6%) in Gwangju do not have sprinklers installed.

Assemblyman Han Byung-do

Sprinkler installation has been mandatory for apartment buildings of 16 floors or higher since the enforcement of the 'Firefighting Facilities Act' in 1990. From 2005, buildings of 11 floors or more are required to have sprinklers installed on every floor. However, due to the lack of retroactive application, many apartment complexes remain vulnerable in terms of safety.

The highest non-installation rate in Jeonnam is in Gangjin, reaching 92% (83 out of 90 complexes). Other areas with over 80% non-installation rates include ▲ Boseong 89% (47 out of 53 complexes) ▲ Jangheung 88% (61 out of 69 complexes) ▲ Goheung 87% (57 out of 66 complexes) ▲ Jangseong 85% (57 out of 67 complexes).

In Gwangju, Dong-gu had the highest rate at 63% (62 out of 99 complexes), followed by ▲ Buk-gu 43% (160 out of 369 complexes) ▲ Seo-gu 37% (78 out of 209 complexes) ▲ Gwangsan-gu 36% (94 out of 260 complexes) ▲ Nam-gu 29% (66 out of 225 complexes).

Representative Han stated, "Recent large-scale fire incidents have shown a significant difference in casualties depending on whether sprinklers were installed," and criticized, "Leaving citizens in a safety blind spot due to inadequate basic firefighting facilities is a dereliction of responsibility by local governments and the Fire Agency."

He also urged, "Local governments and the Fire Agency should cooperate to prioritize safety measures such as sprinkler installation in apartment complexes that have a high potential to cause large-scale casualties."

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