27 sites, including Seoul capsule hotels, designated for priority fire-safety management; Oh Se-hoon conducts on-site inspection

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated 27 densely occupied tourist accommodation facilities, including capsule hotels without sprinklers, as priority targets for fire-safety management. The measure aims to reduce safety blind spots at small lodging businesses as use of diverse types of accommodation increases along with the rise in foreign tourists. The city said Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited a capsule-style lodging facility in Jongno District on the 4th and inspected its firefighting facilities and evacuation conditions. At the site, Mayor Oh received a briefing on safety measures for tourist accommodations and checked the installation of firefighting equipment, including automatic fire-extinguishing devices.
From January to September this year, 13.14 million foreign tourists visited Seoul, up 21.5% from 10.82 million in the same period last year. This was the highest figure ever recorded for the same period. The rate of foreign tourists using hostels also rose, from 9.7% in 2023 to 13.2% last year.
In particular, facilities where multiple people stay in confined spaces, such as capsule hotels and dormitories, require stronger safety management because rapid evacuation is difficult in the event of a fire.
Following a fire at a capsule-style lodging facility in Sogong-dong last March, the Seoul Metropolitan Government drew up a comprehensive fire-safety plan for small lodging businesses in May. It subsequently surveyed 34 densely occupied tourist accommodation facilities, designated the 27 without sprinklers or simplified sprinkler systems as priority management targets, and has been recommending the installation of supplementary firefighting equipment, including automatic fire-extinguishing devices.
Institutional improvements are also being pursued. The city drew up 13 proposed improvements, including stricter building safety standards and requirements for installing firefighting facilities, as well as management of room layouts and occupancy density, and submitted them to five central government ministries.
Mayor Oh said, “Tourist numbers have risen recently, and densely occupied accommodations such as capsule hotels are also expanding rapidly. But because rapid evacuation is difficult in the event of a fire, safety management is important. We will actively encourage the installation of firefighting equipment such as automatic fire-extinguishing devices and propose improvements to relevant laws to the central government, among other measures, to create a safe accommodation environment where tourists can stay with peace of mind.”

[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter