remodeled Jungangno station

The Daegu subway fire of February 18, 2003 killed at least 198 people and injured at least 147. An arsonist set fire to a train stopped at the Jungangno station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire then spread to a second train which had entered the station from the opposite direction. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 388 KB)Daegu Subway Jungangno station. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 388 KB)Daegu Subway Jungangno station. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Flame. ... A typical North American steam train In rail transport, a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. ... Daegu Metropolitan Subway serves the South Korean city of Daegu. ... Daegu, also spelled Taegu, officially called Daegu Metropolitan City, is the 4th largest city in South Korea after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon. ...

The arsonist was Kim Dae-han, a 56 year-old unemployed former taxi driver who had suffered a stroke in November 2001 that left him partly paralyzed. Kim was dissatisfied with his medical treatment and had expressed sentiments of violence and depression; he later told police he wanted to kill himself, but to do so in a crowded place rather than alone. By most accounts, on the morning of February 18, he boarded train 1079 on Line 1 in the direction of Daegok, carrying a duffle bag which contained two green milk cartons filled with a flammable liquid, possibly paint thinner or gasoline. Unemployment rates in the United States. ... Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. ... A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA),[1] is an acute neurological injury in which the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted. ... Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ... Violence is any act of aggression and abuse which causes or intends to cause injury, in some cases criminal, or harm to persons, and (by some definitions) animals or property. ... Depression, or a depressed mood, may in everyday English refer to a state of melancholia, unhappiness or sadness, or to a relatively minor downturn in mood that may last only a few hours or days. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... A glass of cows milk A goat kid feeding on its mothers milk Milk is the nutrient fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals (including monotremes). ... Flammable or Flammability refers to the ease at which a substance will ignite, causing fire or combustion. ... A liquid will usually assume the shape of its container. ... Turpentine substitute is a mineral based replacement for the vegetable based organic solvent turpentine. ... Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ...

As the train left Daegu Yeok station around 9:53 a.m., Kim began fumbling with the cartons and a cigarette lighter, alarming other passengers who tried to stop him. In the struggle, one of the cartons spilled and its liquid contents caught fire as the train pulled into Jungangno station in downtown Daegu. Kim, his back and legs on fire, managed to escape along with many passengers on train 1079, but within two minutes the fire had spread to all six cars. The seats and flooring were composed of flammable carbonated vinyl, and polyethylene, and non-flammable fiberglass, and produced thick, chemical smoke as it burned. A lit cigarette will burn to ash from one end. ... A metal naphtha lighter A lighter is a device used to create fire with the intent to ignite another substance such as a cigarette, smoking pipe, or charcoal in a grill. ... Daegu, also spelled Taegu, officially called Daegu Metropolitan City, is the 4th largest city in South Korea after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon. ... Chemical structure of the vinyl functional group. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass or glassfibre is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ...

The operator of the train failed to notify subway officials immediately of the fire.

Errors compound the disaster

Smoke being visible on their closed-circuit television monitors, subway officials radioed the operator of train 1080, Choi Sang-yeol, advising him to proceed with caution because there was a fire in the station. Train 1080 entered Jungangno station and stopped alongside blazing train 1079 approximately four minutes later. The doors opened only briefly, then shut, apparently in an effort to keep out the toxic smoke that had filled the station. Shortly after train 1080's arrival, an automatic fire detector shut down the power supply to both trains, preventing train 1080 from leaving the station. The usage of surveillance cameras is increasing rapidly. ...

Transcripts show Choi Sang-yeol made three announcements advising passengers in train 1080 to remain seated while he attempted to reach superiors. Finally, he was advised "Quickly, run somewhere else. Go up. . . kill the engine and go." Choi then opened the doors and fled, but in doing so he removed the master key, shutting down the onboard batteries which powered the train doors— effectively sealing passengers inside. Later investigation showed 79 passengers remained trapped inside train 1080 and died there.

Inadequate emergency equipment also worsened the disaster. Daegu subway trains were not equipped with fire extinguishers, and the stations lacked sprinklers and emergency lighting. Many victims became disoriented in the dark, smoke-filled underground station and died of asphyxiation looking for exits. Emergency ventilation systems also proved inadequate. Over 1,300 fire and emergency personnel responded and the fire itself was extinguished around 1:25 p.m.; however, the toxicity of the smoke prevented them from entering the station for another three and a half hours. Fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a device used to put out a fire, often in an emergency situation. ... Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. ...

What follows is a first-person account from a Canadian who was at the station four times a day before the fire.

The first I knew of the fire was when I was walking with a friend to get some coffee at the McDonald's near the station. There was smoke pouring along the street and I was certain it was some sort of grease fire at a restaurant. We took another route to the main street, Jungangno, only to see smoke billowing out of the subway grates. I walked my friend to a bus stop near Banweoldang intersection where the next subway station south of Jungangno is located, and as I crossed the intersection to go back to work at the language institute where I taught I noticed a man in a subway employee uniform crossing towards me. There was something unusual about him but I only realised that he was blackened with soot after he had passed. I went back to work and called the daycare where my daughter was at the time so they would not be concerned about my whereabouts. For a few weeks afterwards one of my evening students, a doctor, came to class exhausted. He had been collecting and identifying remains in the subway cars during the day. Another of my students appeared in class that morning, and had actually been on the train where the fire had started. She told me about running up the stairs away from the smoke. Another student, a young woman, never returned to class. I still don't know what happened to her, but I did look for her face amongst the photos. A few weeks after the fire the station was opened to the public and many people scrawled messages and names in the soot still on the walls. Halogen lamps had been set up on the platforms and it was very eerie walking down into a place where so many people had been incinerated. That station and a few neighbouring ones remained closed for almost a year, until January 2004.

Victims

The intensity of the fire made it difficult to accurately assess the number of victims. Most were burned beyond recognition, many to the bone, and required DNA analysis to identify. A total of 191 bodies were found and identified; 6 additional bodies were found but so thoroughly destroyed that they could not be identified; and one person's possessions were identified but remains could not be located. The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms. ...

As the incident occurred late in the morning rush hour, most of the victims were students or young women who worked in the downtown district's department stores, which opened at 10:30 a.m. Many were able to contact loved ones on their mobile phones, and mobile phone operators released call connection and attempt records to help authorities determine who was in the station. Rush hour at Tokyo Station, Yamanote Line A rush hour is a part of the day with busy traffic and hence traffic congestion on the roads and crowded public transport; normally the two periods in a day when people are travelling to or from work or school. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ...

Investigation and coverup

Choi Sang-yeol could not be located for 11 hours after the accident, and investigators later discovered he had made contact with officials from the subway corporation during that time. The master key from train 1080 was found in an office at the Ansim train depot. Omissions from transcripts of radio communications also heightened suspicion of an attempted coverup.

On February 26, 2003, authorities arrested Kim Dae-han, who had fled to a hospital for treatment. They also arrested both Chois and six officials of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway Corporation, the head of which was fired the same day. February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aftermath

The tragedy prompted outpourings of sympathy and anger from throughout South Korea and internationally.

Officials promised to install better safety equipment in subway stations, and added spray-on fire resistant chemicals to the interiors of the cars of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway. Six stations were taken out of service for rehabilitation and restored in April 2003. The tragedy was considered by many a national embarrassment, provoking debate about whether South Korea had cut too many corners in safety during its rapid industrialization.

Also on August 7, the Daegu District Court convicted Choi Sang-yeol, operator of train 1080, and Choi Jeong-hwan, operator of train 1079, sentencing them to prison for five and four years respectively for criminal negligence. Kim Dae-han was convicted of arson and homicide. Although prosecutors and victims' families had asked for the death penalty, the court sentenced him to life in prison on account of his remorse and mental instability. Kim died in prison on August 31, 2004 in the city of Jinju, where he had been receiving medical treatment. The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Etymology: Latin homicidium, from homo- human being + caedere- to cut, kill Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. ...

Selected references

• iCivilEngineer Engineering Failure Watch: South Korean Subway Fire
• Soo-Jeong. "Subway horror: Errors revealed," Associated Press.
• Hwang Sun-yoon. "200 dead, missing in Daegu arson," Joong-Ang Ilbo, February 19, 2003
• Byun Duk-kun. "Slow Response Causes More Death," Hankook Ilbo February 18, 2003
• Dozens Dead, Hundreds Injured, Missing in South Korea Subway Fire, CNN Transcript, February 18, 2003
• Anger mounts over Korean fire, BBC News, February 20, 2003
• Kirk, Don. "Effort to Fix Responsibility for Deadly Korean Subway Fire," New York Times, February 21, 2003
• "Fire Alarm Ignored and Not Immediately Informed," Dong-A Ilbo, February 23, 2003
• Christensen, Geir. Letter to the Editor: "The Daegu Subway Fire," February 25, 2003
• "Death Toll in Daegu Is Likely to Reach 200," Dong-A Ilbo, February 26, 2003
• "Subway official told driver of train to leave passengers," Joong-Ang Ilbo, February 26, 2003
• Choi Jie-ho. "Safety first -- and 2d, 3d, 4th . . .," Joong-Ang Ilbo, April 8, 2003
• "Arsonist to serve life in Daegu subway fire, Joong-Ang Ilbo, August 7, 2003

The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... JoongAng Ilbo is a newspaper published in Seoul, Korea. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Stub | English-language newspapers | South Korean newspapers ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of more than £4 billion. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dong-a Ilbo (literally East Asia Daily) is a major newspaper in South Korea. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Joong Ang Ilbo is one of the Big Three Newspapers in Korea, the so-called Cho-Joong-Dong (after the first words of the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Daegu Subway Fire photo slideshow