Logistics Centers Expand Amid Parcel Surge; Fire Damages Surpass 1 Trillion Won Over 5 Years

Twenty major warehouse fires have occurred over the past five years, resulting in damages surpassing 1 trillion won. With parcel demand rising—evidenced by per-capita usage reaching 125 parcels last year—logistics centers are becoming massive, leading to increasingly large-scale fire damage. Indeed, major blazes such as the recent Coupang facility in Incheon (61 hours), last year’s E-Land Fashion center in Cheonan (60 hours), and the 2021 Coupang Deokpyong center in Icheon (34 hours) have lasted for extended periods, posing significant challenges to extinguishing efforts.

Nearly half of the country’s 6,000 logistics centers, approximately 2,800, are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, creating a high risk profile in the event of a large-scale fire. The massive damage caused by these fires and the protracted extinguishing processes are causing major disruptions to logistics operations nationwide.

The government established ‘Fire Safety Performance Standards for Warehouse Facilities’ starting in 2024 to strengthen safety regulations. However, more than 70% of logistics centers nationwide were built before these standards were established, presenting structural limitations that fail to meet the new requirements.

Gong Ha-seong, a professor at Woosuk University, proposed the introduction of 'performance-based design' that comprehensively considers the hazard level of goods, stacking height, and racking structures to apply tailored safety measures for each warehouse. As the demand for rapid delivery and increased parcel volume continues to drive the expansion of large-scale logistics centers, the urgent task remains to establish systematic and practical preventive measures to avert major fires.