Lee Byeong-gweon, the second vice minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, visited Kkachisan Market in Seoul on the 7th to conduct a safety inspection for fire prevention and a campaign to distribute safety supplies.
The Vice Minister held a tea meeting before the safety inspection. Professional inspection agencies and merchants attended and discussed ways to enhance the expertise and effectiveness of safety inspections at traditional markets.
During the safety inspection, professional agencies including the Fire Insurance Association and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation examined key safety facilities such as distribution panels and fire hydrants. While identifying winter fire risk factors on-site, the team also distributed firefighting items such as automatic-extinguishing power strips and checked how merchants are managing safety.
The Vice Minister said, "Safety in traditional markets hinges on on-site management and participation," and noted, "Going forward, while strengthening the role of professional agencies, it is necessary to shift to a safety management system in which merchants inspect and manage safety for their own stores and across the market as a whole." Citing the importance of fire mutual aid for swift recovery from fire damage, the Vice Minister also encouraged merchants to enroll.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) supports the installation of facilities to prevent fires in traditional markets through its traditional market safety management package program. Kkachisan Market is a beneficiary of support for installing fire alert facilities. Recently, at markets including Gupo Market in Busan, Sinpo Market in Incheon, and Jungang Market in Chuncheon, fire alert systems activated early, enabling early suppression of fires and preventing large-scale blazes.