Kumho Tire Accelerates Compensation for Gwangju Plant Fire Victims

Settlement Rate Reaches 73.9% in Just Over 50 Days

The compensation process for residents affected by the fire at the Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant (CEO Jung Iltaek) is accelerating, with a settlement rate of 73.9% achieved in just over 50 days since the process began.

According to Kumho Tire on September 4, as of September 3, 3,244 out of 4,387 compensation cases that received guidance had reached settlements, resulting in an overall settlement rate of 73.9%.

Citizens submitting compensation claims at the reception desk set up on the first floor of the Welfare Building at Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant. Provided by Kumho Tire

Looking at the details, 2,954 out of 3,862 personal damage cases (settlement rate of 76.5%) have been settled, while 290 out of 525 property damage cases (settlement rate of 55.2%) have reached agreements.

After the fire at the Gwangju Plant on May 17, Kumho Tire recognized the inconvenience and damage suffered by nearby residents and initiated a compensation process to help them return to normal life as quickly as possible.

From May 19 to June 10, two days after the fire, Kumho Tire and Gwangsan District Office accepted damage reports, resulting in a total of 20,199 cases submitted. After reviewing these cases, 8,372 were finally accepted for compensation claims, and among them, 5,371 personal damage cases were prioritized for review due to their urgency.

Believing that the compensation process could be delayed, Kumho Tire decided to proceed with advance compensation on its own, considering the urgent need for recovery. For cases where the review was completed, settlements began by phone and in writing from August 10, and compensation payments have been made sequentially since August 25 for cases where settlements were reached.

In addition, the civil complaint response system is operating normally. By providing dedicated responses for each inquiry type-including guidance on supplementing documents, notification of review results, and instructions on the settlement process-the company is minimizing inconvenience for residents.

A Kumho Tire representative stated, "We are continuously providing guidance on cases where some required documents for compensation are missing, but the response rate is low, making it difficult to process quickly. Nevertheless, we consider the swift return to daily life for residents our top priority and will do our utmost to ensure compensation is provided as quickly and smoothly as possible."

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