Comprehensive cross-ministry survey launched in wake of Daejeon Hanwha Aerospace and Anjeong Industrial fires; covers factories and warehouses of 500 square meters or larger, hazardous-materials facilities and high-risk workplaces; joint inspection teams from four agencies to complete phased checks by end of 2027

The Hanwha Aerospace factory in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, where an explosion occurred June 1. [Yonhap]
The Hanwha Aerospace factory in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, where an explosion occurred June 1. [Yonhap]

The government will launch a sweeping nationwide fire-safety inspection of factories and warehouses following a series of deadly industrial blazes, officials said Friday. It marks the first cross-ministry survey to cover building safety, fire suppression, industrial safety and chemical safety simultaneously.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced the "Factory and Warehouse Fire Safety Survey Plan" at an emergency economic task force meeting held at the Government Seoul Complex on Friday.

The government said it aims to integrate safety oversight currently fragmented across multiple agencies, proactively eliminate fire vulnerabilities and build a pan-government safety management framework.

The initiative was prompted by a string of major factory fires this year.

A fire at Anjeong Industrial in Daejeon in March killed 14 people, and a blaze at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Daejeon earlier this month claimed four more lives. The repeated incidents have underscored the need for a comprehensive safety review.

The government determined that while individual ministries currently conduct separate inspections under the Building Act, the Fire Facilities Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Chemical Substances Control Act, the fragmented approach limits integrated oversight.

The survey will cover 190,000 factories and warehouses with a total floor area of 500 square meters or more — roughly 26 percent of the 730,000 such facilities nationwide. Hazardous-materials storage facilities and high-risk workplaces will be included regardless of size. The scope was set based on the minimum floor area threshold under the Building Act for major fire-safety regulations and the assessed risk levels of industrial sites.

The inspection will cover building safety, fire suppression systems and industrial safety in full. Inspectors will focus on illegal construction, the installation of semi-noncombustible sandwich panels, the fire-resistance performance of building materials, the condition of sprinklers and fire hydrants, the handling of hazardous materials, and industrial, electrical and chemical safety compliance.

Joint inspection teams will be formed with participation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the National Fire Agency. High-risk facilities will be handled by specialized teams led by licensed architects and fire protection engineers, while general facilities will be checked by basic inspection teams composed of qualified youth workers and civil servants.

The government will begin a pilot survey of about 100 factories in Gyeonggi Province starting next week. Inspection methodology, staffing structure and budget will be finalized based on the pilot before the full survey begins.

The full survey will proceed in three phases based on fire risk level. From September through December this year, roughly 40,000 ultra-high-risk factories storing hazardous materials will be inspected first. About 40,000 high-risk workplaces will follow in the first half of next year, with the remaining roughly 110,000 factories and warehouses covered in the second half.

The government said it will order immediate corrective action whenever illegal extensions or safety deficiencies are found during inspections. It also plans to conduct a full review of factory and warehouse safety management regulations based on the survey results, and to build an integrated platform consolidating inspection data from all agencies into a unified pan-government safety management system.


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