More than 70% of the 25 fire-related deaths in rental housing managed by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) occurred in buildings without sprinklers, according to data submitted by Democratic Party lawmaker Bok Gi-wang to the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee. The data revealed that from 2020 to August 2023, there were 1,142 fire incidents in LH rental housing, resulting in 25 fatalities and 250 injuries.
Among the 23 confirmed fire fatalities, 17 (73.9%) occurred in buildings lacking sprinklers. All 11 deaths in permanent rental housing were in buildings without sprinkler systems.
Conversely, of the 416,774 rental units without sprinklers or with partial installations, only 14,268 units (3.4%) had basic sprinklers installed. The installation rate for permanent rental housing was 9.9%, while approximately 240,000 units of national rental housing had no installations as of the end of August this year.
The pace of installation remains slow. LH reported that it spent 12.3 billion won over the past nine months to install basic sprinklers in 14,268 units. At this rate, it is estimated that it would take about 21 years to complete installations in the remaining 400,000 units. Notably, four of the 11 complexes identified for installation due to fire fatalities—Sanbon Gaya 2, Sanbon Jumong 1, Incheon Dorim 1, and Cheorwon Dongsong—have yet to see any installations.
Bok Gi-wang stated, "Most fire fatalities occurred in buildings without sprinklers, yet the installation rate for basic sprinklers is only 3.4%. We need to expedite installations in complexes where deaths occurred and establish annual completion targets, including for national rental housing."
An LH official explained, "To enhance fire safety, we completed the installation of powder extinguishers and gas timer cocks in units without sprinklers in 2019, and since last year, we have proactively introduced LH-type basic sprinklers using the units' water supply pipes."
The official added, "We are considering prioritizing installations in complexes where fatalities or repeated fires have occurred and will expand the installation targets to include national rental housing. We will also continue discussions with relevant agencies to increase government funding support."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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