&#91LETTERS TO THE EDITOR&#93Time to mull safety codes in subways

How could one arsonist in last Tuesday’s Daegu subway fire manage to engulf a dozen cars on two different subway trains so completely and quickly in flames? Less flammable materials would have produced fewer toxic fumes and caused fewer tragic deaths.
One foreign news report I saw mentioned an incident years ago in New York in which a determined arsonist threw three incendiary devices into a subway car. He managed to injure 46 people, but killed no one. Korea, on the other hand, seems almost intent on making world headlines with one “safety last” disaster after another.
Is no one here concerned about using fire-resistant materials in such obviously critical locations? Surely it would cost more, but . . .

by Emile Vincent