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Families of workers killed in Busan fire accuse construction company of cutting corners on safety

Published: 17 Feb. 2025, 18:09 Updated: 17 Feb. 2025, 18:53

KIM MIN-YOUNG
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Smoke billows from a construction site for a luxury hotel in Busan on Feb. 14. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE]

Bereaved relatives of two construction workers who died in a fire at a hotel construction site in Busan on Friday that claimed six lives expressed their anger toward Samjung Enterprise, the construction company in charge of the project, for allegedly failing to abide by safety regulations.

“A co-worker who worked with my husband told me that the construction was rushed to meet Banyan Tree’s scheduled opening in May, which resulted in safety regulations not being properly followed,” the wife of one of the workers, a man in his 60s surnamed Cho, told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of Korea JoongAng Daily, on Sunday, at the mourning altar for her husband in Haeundae District, Busan.

“Workers from subcontractors at the site said even they felt unsafe.”

The fire broke out at around 10:51 a.m. on Friday at the construction site of Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan, which was scheduled to open in May. According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and other agencies, six were killed and 27 others suffered injuries.

Autopsies conducted on the six victims on Monday confirmed that all of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Kim, who had long worked in event planning, began working as a day laborer in construction after his retirement without informing his family.

“When I saw the news that six people had died in the hotel fire, I never imagined it was about my husband,” Kim's wife said in tears. “It was not until four hours after the fire that the police contacted me, and when I arrived at the hospital and saw my husband’s face blackened by soot, it still did not feel real.”

The accident also took the life of a 42-year-old man surnamed Jo, who was set to get married this year.

“He was my eldest child and only son,” Jo's father told the JoongAng Ilbo. “He had been working at the Banyan Tree hotel construction site for about a week before the fire took his life.”

Jo met his wife through an acquaintance and held a wedding ceremony in his bride’s home country in December last year.

“They were planning to hold another ceremony in Korea and start their newlywed life once the administrative procedures for their international marriage were completed,” said Jo’s 52-year-old uncle.

Jo was reportedly not even covered by industrial accident insurance because he was a day laborer employed by a subcontractor, raising suspicions that the Employment Insurance Act was violated.

Authorities launch a joint investigation into a fire, which killed six people and injured 27 others, at a luxury hotel construction site in Busan on Feb. 16.[NEWS1]

On Sunday, the fire authorities, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the prosecution, police and other relevant agencies conducted a joint investigation of the disaster site along with Samjung Enterprise.

Investigators speculate that the fire originated in a pipe maintenance room on the first floor of Building B. Police plan to examine surveillance camera footage to identify the exact cause of the fire, having determined that cutting and welding work was being done on the pipes on the day of the fire.

Workers at the site suspect that sparks from welding may have started the fire.

“Fires at construction sites caused by welding sparks are very common,” said Lee Young-joo, a professor in the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Kyungil University. “It is necessary to check whether the guidelines from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency were followed before and after the welding work.”

Although not legally required, it was also confirmed during the investigation that the hotel, which promoted itself as a top-tier facility, was not equipped with an automatic fire alarm system.

The police investigation into Samjung Enterprise and the subcontractors is focused on determining the circumstances that led to the deaths of the six victims. Several workers who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo said thick smoke and scattered materials made escaping difficult. There is also speculation that the presence of paint and thinner on-site may have rapidly intensified the fire and smoke.

Police are also investigating whether the sprinkler system and alarms functioned properly to ensure swift firefighting and evacuation.

“I received safety training twice over the past three months, but I never had a fire evacuation drill,” said one worker on the lower floors of Building A at the time of the fire.

The authorities are expected to investigate whether the legally mandated evacuation drills were conducted. They will also check whether fire-resistant materials were properly used and whether a fire safety observer was adequately stationed.

BY KIM MIN-JU, LEE EUN-JI, AN DAE-HUN, KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]