Presidential office calls for fire preventive measures following tragedies in Busan

▲ A joint team inspects an apartment in the southeastern city of Busan on July 3, 2025, where two children died in fire. (Yonhap)

presidential office-fire measures

Presidential office calls for fire preventive measures following tragedies in Busan

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The presidential office on Friday called for comprehensive measures to prevent residential fires following recent tragedies in which children died in apartment fires while their parents were away.

On Wednesday, two girls, aged 8 and 6, were found dead after a fire broke out in their apartment in Busan. The tragedy occurred just days after a similar incident in which two girls, aged 10 and 8, died in a separate apartment fire. In both cases, the children were home alone without their parents and the apartments lacked sprinkler systems.

Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, urged the Office for Government Policy Coordination to work with relevant ministries to assess the situation, identify structural causes behind the recurring incidents and draw up thorough countermeasures, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.

The presidential chief of staff also called for effective measures, including inspections of older apartment buildings not equipped with fire prevention systems and a review of the circumstances of children left unattended at night.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved