Bupyeong Underground Shopping Mall in Incheon. (image: Bupyeong District Office)
SEOUL, Jul. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The government plans to install fire detectors with capabilities to send out location data at all underground malls.
It will also implement stricter fire policy for underground malls based on the threats that the malls are most exposed to.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety discussed various measures to ensure fire safety at underground malls on Monday, where they decided to install fire detectors with location sharing features in underground malls.
The new detectors will not only detect fire, but also locate the point of origin where the fire ignited.
In South Korea, there are currently 73 underground malls, with 14,220 stores currently in operation.
Most of them are large, complex, and heavily populated, making them some of the most vulnerable locations in terms of fire safety.
“Seoul and other local authorities already set aside enough funding to install the new detectors,” explained the ministry. “Other authorities will also follow suit to reflect the new initiative in their budget plan.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
