[Provided by Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters]
[Provided by Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters]

A chlorine gas leak at Grand Joseon Jeju, a five-star hotel in Seogwipo operated by Joseon Hotel & Resorts, left 59 guests and staff suffering from nausea, vomiting and other symptoms Thursday.

According to Yonhap, workers cleaning the first-floor swimming pool released the gas while adding disinfectant, after mixing the chemicals in the wrong ratio. The fumes spread throughout the hotel.

A total of 59 people — including guests, staff and pool users — reported minor symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, vomiting and headaches.

The Navy, Jeju Island health authorities and other relevant agencies dispatched personnel to the scene, setting up a temporary medical station and deploying emergency buses.

A guest surnamed Park, who had been using the hotel sauna with his family at the time, said he vomited and coughed repeatedly after inhaling the sharp odor. His 3-year-old child and other nearby guests showed similar symptoms.

"Tears and mucus were streaming down my face, and my baby vomited three times," Park said. "Guests called 119, and we were taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals including Seogwipo Medical Center."

Park also alleged that the hotel's initial response was inadequate.

"The situation was serious, but the hotel gave no evacuation order and took no action," he said. "Hotel staff were wearing masks, but they did not hand any out to guests."

He added that when he reported the situation to the hotel lobby, staff only told him they would look into it.

A Joseon Hotel & Resorts official said the hotel made announcements and sent staff to guest rooms to guide an evacuation, but that guests in bathrooms or the sauna may not have heard the broadcasts. "We tried to provide masks promptly, but the scene was quite chaotic and some guests may have been missed," the official said.

The official added that the hotel was working with fire authorities to measure gas concentration levels and would take steps to minimize inconvenience to guests.


husn7@heraldcorp.com