The government said on the 21st that it has set up a Central Joint Disaster Victim Support Center, led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to manage the aftermath of the Daejeon factory fire that caused heavy casualties and to support those affected.
At the support center installed at the Daedeok Culture and Sports Center, 22 support agencies will gather in one place to provide victims and their families with integrated services including ▲ civil complaint intake ▲ emergency relief ▲ medical and psychological support ▲ loan and tax and National Pension consultations.
Daejeon City and Daedeok District will also assign one-on-one (1:1) dedicated public officials and concentrate administrative resources to address the difficulties of victims and their families.
They will also hold briefings to convey the on-site situation accurately to the public and conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident while managing the aftermath.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), the Korean National Police Agency, and the National Fire Agency plan to thoroughly determine, through joint forensics and other measures, the reasons for the fire and its rapid spread, the safety of evacuation routes, and the status of worker safety training.
Minister Yoon Ho-jung of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) presided over a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on the day and said, "Please carry out the recovery operations with the utmost priority on the safety of on-site firefighters," adding, "The government will do its best to ensure the accident is brought under control as soon as possible."
A fire that broke out the previous day at an auto parts factory in Daejeon left 10 people dead and 59 with minor to serious injuries, for a total of 69 casualties. Two firefighters were among the injured.
Four people who were inside the factory remain missing.