Residents evacuated after ammonia leak near Seogwipo Port; safety restrictions expanded

【Financial News, Jeju = Jeong Yong-bok】 Residents were evacuated and nearby roads closed after ammonia gas leaked from a refrigeration facility near Seogwipo Port in Jeju. Response work continued into the second day after gas was detected inside the facility even after the pipes were shut off.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 1st, Wi Seong-gon, governor of Jeju, visited the scene of the ammonia leak near Seogwipo Port that afternoon to check on measures to protect residents and the response to the incident. Jeju Province, the fire authorities and other agencies are controlling the site, measuring gas concentrations and removing residual gas.
The leak was confirmed after a passerby reported a foul odor near Seogwipo Port at around 12:27 p.m. on October 31. The leak occurred at a business that produces ice for fishing vessels and freezes seafood, using ammonia as a refrigerant in its cooling equipment.
Fire authorities, dispatched about 10 minutes after receiving the report, confirmed that ammonia-related work had been underway at the business and asked it to stop work. They set up a cordon at the scene to establish a safe zone.
The Yeongsan River Basin Environmental Office, Korea Gas Safety Corporation and the fire service’s special rescue response team were then deployed to measure gas concentrations, shut off pipeline valves and ventilate the area.
However, ammonia continued to be detected inside the facility even after the valves were shut off. A measurement at around 5:38 p.m. that day confirmed that a high concentration of ammonia remained in the machinery room.

Fire authorities used blowers and hoses to direct the residual gas into a water tank, where it was absorbed by the water. Safety measures continued as ammonia was still being detected through the morning of the 1st, the day after the incident.
Measures to protect residents were also expanded. Seogwipo City set up an on-site situation room and evacuated nearby households. It urged nearby restaurants to exercise caution while operating and sent emergency safety text alerts.
In particular, at 9:19 a.m. on the 1st, the city announced that vehicle traffic and access would be restricted from Chilsimni Bridge, near the Seogwipo City Fisheries Cooperative, to the Seogwipo Disabled Persons’ Center. Residents were asked to take detours and refrain from outdoor activities in the surrounding area.
Jeju Province and the relevant agencies held two situation assessment meetings to discuss the leak and how to respond. They are taking safety measures in parallel, including suspending operation of the refrigeration equipment, controlling access to the site and measuring gas concentrations.
No casualties have been confirmed so far. The company involved told fire authorities that ammonia appeared to have leaked as pressure was released through piping connected to an external condenser after pressure in the refrigeration equipment rose abnormally.
The precise cause of the pressure increase and whether the equipment’s safety devices operated have yet to be determined. Police and fire authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident based on the company’s account and the results of their on-site inspection.

Ammonia is an industrial refrigerant used in seafood freezing and refrigeration facilities. Exposure to high concentrations of the gas can severely irritate the eyes and respiratory system and, depending on the level of exposure, can lead to serious health effects, including lung damage.
A worker also died last year in an ammonia leak at a seafood freezing and processing facility in Jeju.
On February 26 last year, the owner of a seafood freezing and processing business in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, who was in their 70s, died after inhaling leaked ammonia while inspecting the refrigeration facility.
The person responsible for gas safety management at the time was prosecuted for failing to notice that corrosion had prevented a refrigeration-facility valve from closing completely and for not replacing it. In August this year, Jeju District Court sentenced the person, who had been indicted on charges of occupational negligence causing death, to one year in prison, suspended for two years. The court found that the safety manager’s neglect of facility maintenance and safety training had led to the grave outcome of a death.
Governor Wi Seong-gon said at the scene, “The longer it takes to respond to the incident, the longer citizens will be inconvenienced,” and urged officials, “Please promptly secure the necessary specialists and have the relevant agencies work together to expedite safety measures.”
Jeju Province plans to continue measures to protect residents and its follow-up response based on the results of residual-gas removal and safety checks.


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter