Korean Fire Escapes

Brian over at Gangwon Notes has some interesting pictures of a fire escape at a Korean camp he was working at. I have seen this type locked fire escape in hotels before and thought how odd it was. I wonder if Korea has any fire safety laws in regards to this? They probably do but they are probably enforced as well as traffic laws are here.

I remember reading in the Asia Times about a brothel that burned down in Kunsan and a bunch of prostitutes were killed because of a locked fire escape.

And this is where the problem lies. As long as South Korea maintains the illegality of prostitution while turning a blind eye to one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation, the industry itself escapes regulation and the sex workers do not enjoy even the most basic of human rights. In 2002 in a red-light district in Kunsan, 15 sex workers were killed when the building where they were confined caught fire. With the doors bolted from the outside and bars over the windows to prevent escape, the girls were unable to flee the flames, all suffering a horrific death. A Seoul court ruled in favor of the bereaved families, awarding them a total of $2 million in compensation from the brothel owner.

The same judge, however, ruled that the local government and the police had no legal responsibility, even though the brothel confined the women with the likely knowledge of the local authorities.

In comparison this camp isn’t to bad. At least they had fire extinguishers at the locked fire escape. However, I wonder when the last time those fire extinguishers were checked for serviceability? At the very least you can use them to break the glass. Maybe that is what they are really there for.