Chlorine Gas Sends 59 to Hospitals at Jeju Five-Star Hotel... Pool Disinfectants Mixed Incorrectly

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Fifty-nine guests and employees were transported to hospitals after chlorine gas was generated when pool disinfectants were mixed incorrectly at a five-star hotel in Jeju's Jungmun Tourist Complex. More than 60 people evacuated the hotel after a report was received about a pungent odor throughout the building. Guests, including infants and young children, reported symptoms such as vomiting, headaches and coughing.
According to Jeju Province, the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters and other authorities, a report was received at around 10:40 a.m. on Jan. 1 that "there is a strong bleach smell throughout every floor of the hotel" at Grand Josun Jeju in the Jungmun Tourist Complex in Seogwipo City.
Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 10:50 a.m. Three minutes later, at 10:53 a.m., the hotel made an evacuation announcement throughout the building.
At the time, guests were staying in 85 rooms at the hotel. After the incident, more than 60 people evacuated the building.
Firefighters set up a temporary medical station at 11:14 a.m. and requested a joint response from relevant agencies, including health and environmental authorities.
A total of 59 guests, employees and pool users were transported to hospitals across the province after experiencing symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, vomiting, headaches and coughing. Infants and young children were among the patients, according to officials.

The incident occurred in pool-related facilities on the hotel's first floor. Firefighters believe chlorine gas was generated after a problem occurred while disinfectants were being added to manage the pool's water quality. The odor from the mechanical room spread into the hotel, causing guests and employees to report unusual symptoms.
Josun Hotels & Resorts also explained that an error occurred while chemicals were being added to control the pool's pH level.
The investigation will examine not only the cause of the gas release but also the hotel's initial response. Some guests claimed that they developed coughing and vomiting after smelling the pungent odor but did not receive immediate evacuation instructions from the hotel. There were also claims that employees put on masks but failed to properly provide them to guests.
The hotel gave a different account. It said that an announcement was made and that staff visited rooms in person to provide evacuation instructions. The hotel added that some people in restrooms or saunas may not have heard the announcement.
The hotel also explained that it tried to provide masks to guests, but some may not have received them because the scene was chaotic immediately after the incident.
Accordingly, the police and relevant agencies will focus on when the hotel first became aware of the gas release and the sequence in which it reported the incident and provided evacuation instructions.

Procedures for managing the pool chemicals are also under investigation. Police plan to identify the worker who added the disinfectants, the chemicals used at the time and the mixing process.
When hazardous gas is released at an accommodation facility such as a hotel, where large numbers of people use the premises, the speed at which guests in different areas—including rooms, saunas and pools—are alerted to the danger and moved outside can determine the scale of the damage.
In this incident, firefighters made an evacuation announcement throughout the hotel and set up a temporary medical station after receiving the report. However, further confirmation is needed regarding when the hotel's own response began.
Police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident by questioning those involved and determine whether there was professional negligence in the chemical management process. Firefighters and relevant agencies are also checking gas concentrations at the scene and the safety condition of the facilities.


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter