South Korea launches nationwide factory fire safety inspection of 190,000 sites

The South Korean government will conduct a three‑stage inspection of more than 190,000 factories and warehouses of at least 500 sq m from September 2024 through the end of 2027. The first phase (September–December 2024) will target about 40,000 high‑risk facilities that store or handle hazardous materials. Subsequent phases will examine medium‑risk sites and then the remaining low‑risk premises.

New fire‑safety standards will be upgraded to match "advanced‑country" levels. Requirements include mandatory use of non‑combustible exterior panels for hazardous‑material facilities, expansion of sprinkler coverage to all floors of factories with a floor area of 5,000 sq m, and installation of intelligent fire‑detection devices that assess smoke, temperature and context. Repeated violations will attract higher enforcement fines.

To drive compliance, the government will provide a 2 trillion‑won subsidy programme, a 1.25 trillion‑won five‑year loan scheme, and up to 3 trillion won of policy‑finance for safety‑equipment purchases, tax incentives, and insurance discounts. Legislative changes to the building‑code are slated for December 2024, and a specialist fire‑facility inspection service will be introduced by 2028.