According to Yonhap News, from 2023 to 2025, there were over 110,000 instances of fire alarm malfunctions each year.
On October 7, Representative Jeong Chun-seng of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee revealed data from the Fire Agency indicating that the total number of false alarm responses (non-fire alarms) from 2023 to last year reached 358,494.
By year, the figures were 115,949 in 2023, 124,694 in 2024, and 117,851 last year, all exceeding 110,000.
According to the Fire Agency's analysis, the primary cause of malfunctions was system-related factors, such as device defects and aging, accounting for 54.9%. Management-related factors, including humidity, condensation, and dust, made up 33.7%, while human factors, such as construction, inspections, training, cooking, and accidents, constituted 11.4%.
Representative Jeong warned that repeated malfunctions could lead to tragedies similar to the fire that occurred in Haeundae District, Busan, four years ago, where alarms were turned off due to frequent false alarms.
The incident Jeong referenced took place in June 2022 in an apartment in Jaesong-dong, Haeundae District. Due to frequent complaints about malfunctions, staff at the apartment management office had turned off the fire alarm system approximately 58 hours before the fire occurred. As a result, the alarm did not sound during the fire, and residents were unaware of the danger, leading to the deaths of three occupants.
Choi Yong-cheol, head of the Fire Agency, stated, "When false alarms occur one or two times, we conduct training for those involved, and if it happens three times or more, we carry out fire safety investigations and training. We will consider measures to mandate the replacement of fire alarms that repeatedly malfunction."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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