Nearly 10 Cases of Obstructing Firefighting Activities Annually in Gwangju and Jeonnam... Half Result in Fines

A 119 ambulance damaged by a drunk person is parked on a road in Gunsan City, Jeonbuk, on the 11th. The police stated that they have arrested and are investigating a man in his 20s on charges of obstructing official duties and damaging public property. Yonhap News

It has been found that incidents obstructing the firefighting activities of fire brigades occur nearly 10 times each year in Gwangju and Jeonnam.

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Han Byungdo of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Iksan-eul, Jeonbuk) from the National Fire Agency on September 17, there were a total of 48 cases of obstruction of firefighting activities in Gwangju and Jeonnam from 2020 to last year, with 28 cases in Gwangju and 20 cases in Jeonnam.

Of these, 29 cases resulted in fines, while 13 cases ended with suspended sentences or suspensions of indictment. There were also 2 cases that resulted in imprisonment, and 4 cases are either under other dispositions or still under investigation.

Under the current Framework Act on Fire Services, anyone who obstructs the firefighting activities of a dispatched fire brigade may be sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to 50 million won.

Assemblyman Han emphasized, "Obstructing firefighting activities is a serious crime that can threaten the lives and property of citizens by causing the golden hour to be missed at emergency scenes," and stressed, "We must respond strongly with a zero-tolerance policy."

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