The Ministry of Social Security recently issued a directive to conduct fire safety inspections of relatively high-risk buildings and facilities for the month of July.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Daily NK source in North Korea’s Kangwon Province reported on Monday that “a directive from the Ministry of Social Security was issued to the provincial safety department earlier this month, designating July as the period for inspections of fire-related law enforcement and conducting thorough fire safety inspections by province.”
According to the source, the directive was prompted by a fire incident at the Daesong department store in Pyongyang.
On July 3, a small fire broke out when a portable gas canister used for cooking exploded in the store’s food storage room. The fire extinguishers at the scene were empty containers with no extinguishing agent, and basic tools such as sandbags or water buckets were not available, making it difficult to extinguish the fire.
“In the directive, the Ministry of Social Security mentioned the small fire incident at the food warehouse of Daesong Department Store and emphasized the need to thoroughly inspect all firefighting facilities and equipment in inspection units and take measures to remedy any deficiencies.
“The Ministry of Social Security stated that this inspection would be an important turning point in protecting people’s lives and property, and firmly instructed in the directive that the provincial safety department should complete a thorough fire safety inspection by the end of July and report on measures to secure all necessary firefighting equipment.”
The police agency clearly stated that fire prevention and quick response in case of fire are the basic objectives of this inspection.
“The Kangwon Province police agency pointed out that knowing the rules of action in case of fire is one of the important points of inspection. They plan to thoroughly inspect whether the personnel working in each location are educated on how to respond in case of a fire accident and whether related training is conducted.”
However, the source said that there are only a handful of personnel at the sites who properly understand the rules of action in case of fire. In most cases, there are at best sandbags or buckets of water; many sites lack basic equipment such as fire extinguishers.
In light of this situation, officials at both the provincial police agency and the sites subject to the inspection are expressing concern about the apparent contradiction between the country’s advanced nuclear and missile capabilities and its inadequate fire safety infrastructure. They advocate the proper equipping and modernization of facilities and equipment in the future, stressing the need to address this discrepancy in technological advancement in various fields.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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