All Floors Affected by Yeoksam Arson Lacked Sprinklers

In the recent arson incident in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, both patent law firms affected by the fire were found to lack sprinklers on the floors where the incidents occurred.

According to fire inspection reports submitted to the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee by the Fire Agency, the sprinkler coverage in the damaged Shinmyung Building was limited to the basement levels 1 and 2, while the Hanyang Building had sprinklers only in the basement 2 and on the ground floor.

The floors where the fire broke out—4th floor of Shinmyung Building and 3rd floor of Hanyang Building—were excluded from the sprinkler installation requirements.

A fire official stated, "There were no sprinklers installed on the upper floors, so it appears that the automatic fire suppression system did not activate during the fire."

However, the fire authorities noted that both buildings were completed before the stricter sprinkler installation requirements were enacted, meaning they are not legally liable for lacking the systems on those floors.

Shinmyung Building (7 stories above ground and 2 below) received its occupancy approval in October 2000, while Hanyang Building (10 stories above ground and 2 below) was approved in April 1998. The requirement for sprinkler installation in buildings was expanded from those over 11 stories to those over 6 stories in January 2018, but the revised standards do not apply retroactively to existing buildings.

A fire official remarked, "Both buildings complied with the standards at the time of their construction, and there was no requirement to retroactively install sprinklers after the regulation was amended," although he added that a detailed investigation is still pending.

Reviewing the self-inspection records, Hanyang Building was cited for issues such as missing fire extinguisher signage and faulty emergency light backup power during a comprehensive inspection in April this year, which were rectified by May. Shinmyung Building received satisfactory ratings in all five self-inspections conducted over the past year.

Nevertheless, concerns have been raised that the absence of sprinklers on the floors where the fire occurred could have led to significant casualties.

Additionally, a fire on October 16 at a metal parts coating factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in the death of a firefighter, was also found to lack sprinklers. The factory was subject to automatic fire detection system requirements but did not meet the area criteria for mandatory sprinkler installation.