Seven Killed and One Seriously Injured in a Fire at Hyundai Outlet Daejeon Store: Decision Expected on the Application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act

On September 26, firefighters are containing a fire at the Hyundai Premium Outlet mall in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. Courtesy of the National Fire Agency

A fire broke out at a major outlet mall in Yuseong-gu, Daejon killing seven people and critically injuring one. Around 7:45 a.m. September 26, a fire started near the B1 unloading point of the Hyundai Premium Outlet Daejeon Store in Yongsan-dong, Yuseong-gu and spread quickly throughout the building.

The fire killed seven people including six men ages ranging from the thirties to seventies and one woman in her sixties. They were employees of contractors and external service providers. They were maintaining the facilities of the mall and handling logistics, such as checking inventory and handling returns, when they died and were discovered in cardiac arrest in the B1 parking lot.

One man in his forties, who suffered serious injuries, was transported to a nearby university hospital and is currently receiving treatment. The man, who was the first to be rescued by a 119 rescue team, is known to have struggled until the last moment to minimize damages by the fire. Shortly after the fire broke out, he checked to see if the fire-fighting facilities were all working properly and did his best to help other employees escape. The smoke quickly spread, reducing his field of vision. He was struggling to escape when the rescuers found him.

The fire department believes the fire led to serious casualties because of a large amount of smoke and toxic gases emitted when the paper boxes stacked in the B1 unloading point burned.

A, who escaped the fire said, “We were moving the goods when suddenly, a smoky smell began to permeate from the ceiling. We also heard what sounded like sprinklers going off, so we thought it must be a fire.” He further explained, “Black smoke filled the area in just 20-30 seconds. I couldn’t see, so I kept my eyes on the floor and barely escaped through the emergency stairs.”

The fire broke out before the outlet mall was open, so there were no outside customers. The Hyundai Premium Outlet Daejeon Store is a massive shopping mall with two stories underground and seven floors above ground, and a total area exceeding 120,000m2.

At 7:51 a.m. this day, the fire department issued a Level-1 response, but raised it to a Level-2 response seven minutes later and focused on search and rescue as they worked to contain the fire. The department deployed 120 firefighters, and over forty units of facilities including a helicopter, fire engines and ambulances to contain the fire. They were able to stop the fire, which started in B1, from spreading to the floors above ground.

The fire department also evacuated nearly a hundred people who were staying at a nearby hotel to a safe location in case the fire spread. Fire Commissioner Lee Heung-gyo explained, “The scene of the fire was so large that firefighters had a hard time conducting vent-enter-search operations,” and said, “We extend our condolences to the victims who sadly died, and wish the employee who struggled to evacuate his colleagues from the scene until the last minute gets well soon.”

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is expected to decide whether to apply the Serious Accidents Punishment Act after examining the cause of the fire and the safety management status when the investigation of the fire is completed.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which was enforced in January, stipulates the punishment of the CEO if a serious industrial accident occurs due to the CEO’s failure to perform his duties of ensuring the safety and health of employees in a worksite with fifty or more employees. If one or more people die in the accident, the CEO could be sentenced to at least one year in prison or imposed a fine of up to 1 billion won.

This day, after considering the scale of damages and the severity of the case, the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency installed an investigation headquarters with the director of investigation as the chief and the head of criminal investigation and the chief of the Yuseong Police Station as deputy chiefs. The police will conduct a joint forensics analysis with related agencies, such as the National Forensic Service and the fire department as soon as the site is cleared and will call related personnel in for questioning to identify the cause of the fire.

On September 26, Chung Ji-sun, chairman of the Hyundai Department Store Group bows his head apologizing for a major fire that broke out and killed several people, in front of the Hyundai Premium Outlet Daejeon Store. Yonhap News

This day, Chung Ji-sun, chairman of the Hyundai Department Store Group said, “We extend our deepest condolences and apologies to the victims and their families,” and announced, “Hyundai Department Store deeply feels responsible for this accident, and we will cooperate with relevant authorities as best as we can to uncover the cause and settle any problems due to the accident. We will not evade responsibility whatsoever.” Lee Jang-woo, the mayor of Daejeon, who received a report of the accident during a business trip in Türkiye, decided to shorten his trip, which was originally scheduled to end on September 30, and will visit the scene of the fire on the afternoon of September 27.