Is Your Military Facility Safe? Discover South Korea’s New Safety Measures for Hazardous Materials

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On April 4, the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced it will launch an intensive campaign through Nov. 30 to close management gaps at 4,122 hazardous-material facilities on military installations and strengthen safety oversight.

The effort, coordinated with the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of National Defense, is intended to improve follow-up oversight after bringing military hazardous-material sites under formal regulation between 2022 and 2025 and to minimize blind spots in supervision.

The headquarters plans to have local fire stations reverify and update core data on each site — including facility locations, stored substances and permitting status.

Inspectors will focus on legal compliance: whether safety managers are designated, whether regular inspections are carried out, and whether prevention protocols are in place. They will also bring facility registers and inspection records up to date.

The campaign will include distributing safety manuals and notices, providing on-site guidance and safety consulting, and conducting integrated education and training to strengthen facilities’ self-management capabilities.

High-risk sites — such as bulk storage facilities or locations with prior accidents — will be inspected first, with teams taking steps to remove potential ignition sources and leak risks.

Choi Yong-cheol, the acting director of the headquarters, said: \”The more management responsibilities for military hazardous-material facilities are dispersed, the more oversight blind spots can emerge. We will clarify responsibilities and standards and structurally eliminate those gaps.\”