National Forestry Cooperative Federation EV Charging Stations Face Fire Safety Red Alert

No Fire Suppression Equipment at All 12 Charging Stations Nationwide
Seo Samsuk: "Directly Linked to Public Safety... Urgent Need to Strengthen Safety Management"

Seosamsuk, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker.

As the adoption of electric vehicles has been rapidly increasing recently, it has been revealed that the safety management of electric vehicle charging stations operated by the National Forestry Cooperative Federation is severely lacking.

According to audit materials submitted by Seo Samsuk, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan in South Jeolla Province, to the National Forestry Cooperative Federation on October 29, none of the 12 electric vehicle charging stations installed on the federation's premises are equipped with fire suppression equipment.

The supply of fire prevention equipment is also insufficient. Of the 16 chargers installed at these stations, only five (33%) are equipped with overcharge prevention devices. Notably, the charging station at the federation's headquarters does not have either overcharge prevention devices or fire suppression equipment, meaning there are no preventive or response measures in place.

Experts have pointed out that such inadequate safety management could lead to serious risks. In particular, some of the 50kW rapid chargers lack overcharge prevention devices, raising concerns about the risk of fire and explosion in the event of battery thermal runaway.

According to the 'Technical Standards for Electrical Installations,' electric vehicle charging facilities must be equipped with stable charging and protection devices. However, the National Forestry Cooperative Federation is not complying with these requirements.

Additionally, although the federation outsources the operation of all charging stations, it has failed to accurately grasp the installation status at local cooperatives. This could make it unclear who is responsible in the event of a fire.

Assemblyman Seo stated, "Although the National Forestry Cooperative Federation is an organization established by law, it has not even provided preventive and safety response equipment for its electric vehicle charging facilities," and urged, "The central federation and local cooperatives must immediately establish a unified safety management system."

He further emphasized, "The safety of electric vehicle charging stations is not simply a matter of facility management, but is directly linked to the lives of the public. The federation must quickly supply the necessary equipment and distribute fire response manuals to all cooperatives."

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