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Car fire extinguishers mandatory in South Korea from Dec. 1
haps Magazine Korea
November 20, 2024
car fire (Gyeongnam province)
Starting December 1, 2024, all passenger vehicles with five or more seats, whether manufactured, imported, or sold, must be equipped with a fire extinguisher.
This requirement follows the amended “Act on the Installation and Management of Fire Facilities” and aims to improve vehicle safety and provide rapid responses to fires.
The Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Department is actively promoting awareness of this new mandate.
Fire extinguishers must be installed in locations easily accessible to drivers and passengers to ensure quick use during emergencies.
The regulation comes in response to an increasing number of car fires.
On October 29, a fire broke out in an SUV on the Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway near Changnyeong-gun.
While firefighters extinguished the blaze within an hour, the vehicle was destroyed. Fortunately, there were no casualties.
Over the past three years, Gyeongnam province recorded 1,093 vehicle fires, resulting in six fatalities and 41 injuries.
In 2024 alone (as of October), there were 254 incidents, with 10 injuries.
To comply with the law, vehicle fire extinguishers must meet the “vehicle-use” type approval and be placed in locations where they can be easily accessed by both drivers and passengers.
This regulation applies to all qualifying vehicles manufactured, imported, or sold in South Korea.