Seoul City to Intensively Manage Capsule Hotels... Expanding Installation of Detectors and Diffusion Extinguishers

Seoul Announces Comprehensive Measures for Small-Scale Lodging Safety
Full Inspection of 7,958 Establishments; Focus on Densely Arranged Rooms
Expansion of Detector Installation in Accommodations Without Sprinklers
From Registration to Operation, Strengthened Interdepartmental Coordination

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated capsule hotels and other densely arranged accommodation rooms as "priority management targets," strongly recommending the installation of fire safety equipment such as detectors. In the medium and long term, the city plans to revise the law to classify these facilities as "multi-use businesses," making sprinkler installation mandatory.

On May 21, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a "Comprehensive Fire Safety Measure" targeting small-scale lodging establishments that fall into legal blind spots and are not even required to install sprinklers.

The scene of the fire that occurred last March at a capsule hotel in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Currently, there are 7,958 lodging establishments in Seoul, and more than 90% of them have not installed sprinklers. Small-scale accommodations with business areas of less than 300 square meters, which account for 80% of the total, are excluded by current law from the (simplified) sprinkler installation requirement.

To address this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to reduce fire safety blind spots based on three pillars: a full-scale inspection, fire safety facility supplementation, and integrated management. First, a thorough inspection will be conducted on all 7,958 lodging establishments in the city, examining room types, the presence of sprinklers, evacuation route availability, installation of portable emergency lights, and the maintenance status of fire safety facilities. For businesses identified as having dense room layouts and lacking adequate fire safety management, joint inspections with relevant agencies will also be carried out.

The inspections will focus on the following: whether fire extinguishing and alarm device power sources and valves are shut off, whether receivers are left unrepaired, and the maintenance status of evacuation and rescue facilities such as escape ladders. In addition, the inspections will check for blocked emergency exits, obstacles left in escape routes, damage to fire protection facilities, and compliance with fire-retardant standards for interior decorations.

Tailored safety consulting will also be provided. For establishments not required or unable to install sprinklers, the city will strongly recommend installing automatic diffusion extinguishers, spray-type fire extinguishers, standalone smoke detectors, socket-type automatic fire patches, and portable emergency lighting. For capsule-type and dormitory-type accommodations, the city plans to recommend placing smoke detectors and spray-type fire extinguishers inside each capsule, considering the unique room structure and usage patterns. In preparation for an increase in foreign guests, multilingual fire response leaflets will be distributed.

The proportion of lodging establishments subject to self-fire inspections will be increased from the current 10% to 30%, and the sample survey rate will be expanded from 250 establishments (3%) to 350 establishments (5%). Through these measures, the city will focus on inspecting the maintenance of fire facilities, evacuation and fire protection facilities, the appropriateness of self-inspections, and the implementation of safety management by responsible parties.

Newly opened lodging establishments will be subject to stricter management. The city will review the installation of fire safety facilities and the adequacy of evacuation and fire protection plans from the construction and change-of-use stages. Even at the lodging business application and registration stage, the installation of safety facilities such as smoke detectors, spray-type fire extinguishers, evacuation guides, and portable emergency lighting in rooms will be recommended.

The scope of the reporting reward system will also be expanded from the current seven categories to 15, including apartments in multi-family housing, medical and elderly care facilities, sports facilities, officetels, factories and warehouses, and tourist rest areas. The maximum monthly reward will be raised to 300,000 won, with an annual cap of 3 million won. Additionally, the city plans to make it mandatory to use non-combustible or semi-noncombustible materials for interior finishes in lodging facilities, and to require usage approval procedures for any change of use, regardless of area, which was previously omitted for spaces less than 500 square meters under current standards.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government considers "legal and institutional improvement" to be the core of this measure and will continue to urge the central government to strengthen safety standards across firefighting, construction, hygiene, and tourism sectors. The city has proposed to the government an amendment to designate capsule hotels and other densely arranged accommodations as multi-use businesses, making sprinkler systems mandatory regardless of business area. Kim Seongbo, Acting Mayor of Seoul, stated, "Capsule hotels, dormitories, and other small-scale accommodations are spaces used daily by citizens and tourists, but there are quite a few that fall into safety management blind spots under the current system. We will swiftly conduct thorough inspections, reinforce fire safety facilities, and establish an integrated management system to safeguard the golden time for citizen safety."

A view of a smoke detector and a spray-type fire extinguisher installed inside a capsule hotel. Seoul City

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