The recent apartment fire in Seoul's Gayang-dong, which resulted in the deaths of a mother with brain lesions and her son, has highlighted the shortcomings of evacuation manuals for people with disabilities. Existing manuals contain content that is difficult for people with disabilities to implement in real fire situations, lacking practicality. For example, while they emphasize the use of stairs and advise seeking assistance from supporters for evacuation, these measures are not practically helpful for people with mobility impairments. Moreover, older apartments without mandatory sprinkler installations lack adequate fire prevention facilities, making them even more dangerous. In light of this, experts are calling for the need for customized evacuation guidance tailored to disability types and living environments, as well as the expansion of fire extinguishing equipment and strengthened fire safety education for people with disabilities. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security has promised to improve the manuals, while the National Disaster Safety Research Institute plans to develop practical evacuation methods by gathering opinions from experts and relevant organizations.
