South Korea builds fast. They always have, wrote the Seoul correspondent of the South China Morning Post (SCMP), who identifies behind this truth, the culture of “pali-pali” – literally “fast, fast!”, which is said to have allowed the country to transition from a war-ravaged nation to an industrial giant in just one generation. Problem:
“According to security experts, this spirit also has a nasty tendency to kill workers.”
At least that’s what several South Korean press editorials were pointing out on Monday, March 23, three days after the fire that ravaged an automobile parts factory in Taejon, in the center of the country, causing the death of 14 workers and injuring around sixty others.
“Once again, the chronic disregard for safety rules, so widespread in industrial circles, has led to a tragedy,” chides the progressive newspaper Hankyoreh. “Risk factors did not appear overnight,” adds the center-right JoongAng Ilbo. “Despite the repetition of major fires of this kind in recent years, structural problems show almost no sign of improvement,” reminds the very conservative Dong-a Ilbo.
Oil mists
According to the SCMP, the causes of the fire are still to be confirmed – the
