Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Safety concerns grow as more electric scooters catch fire
An electric scooter is destroyed by a fire caused while charging in a residential area of Jeju Island's Seogwipo, Aug. 7. Courtesy of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Fire Safety Headquarters
By Jung Da-hyun
Gov't urged to strengthen safey regulations on personal mobility devices
Concerns are growing over the safety of electric scooters amid a recent surge in electric vehicle battery fires, particularly when scooters are left unattended on sidewalks and at apartment complexes, according to experts, Wednesday.
They warn that while the fire risk is significant, current safety management guidelines for such personal mobility devices are inadequate.
A fire erupted on Tuesday from a privately owned electric scooter parked near the entrance of a supermarket in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province. The fire burned part of the building's wall, but no casualties were reported.
Earlier, on Aug. 7, an electric scooter caught fire while charging in a residential area of Jeju Island's Seogwipo. Fire authorities believe the blaze was caused by an overheated battery.
Data from the National Fire Agency reveals that 467 electric scooters have caught fire over the past five years, with the number of casualties rising every year.
In 2023 alone, 114 fire incidents were reported, marking a 2.5-fold increase from 46 cases in 2019. Two people lost their lives last year, and 28 others were injured in fire accidents with electric scooters.
The data shows that fires are most frequent during the hot and humid summer months, with 175 cases recorded between June and August over the past five years. Autumn followed with 118 cases, spring with 99 and winter with 75, making summer incidents more than twice as common as those in winter.
Most recently, last Friday, an electric scooter parked on a road in Seoul's Gangdong District caught fire. Fire authorities suspect the battery overheated due to the ongoing heat wave, even though the scooter was not charging at the time.
Electric scooters are parked on a sidewalk in Seoul, May 22, 2023. Newsis
Rising concerns over electric vehicle fires have led to a focus on battery safety measures for cars, especially following a parking garage fire in Incheon’s Cheongna International City on Aug. 1. However, safety protocols for personal mobility devices like electric scooters remain inadequate.
Read More
Experts emphasize the dangers posed by the batteries used in these devices and stress the need for dedicated systems and regulations tailored specifically to them.
Lee Ho-geun, a professor of automotive engineering at Daeduk University, has raised concerns about the risks associated with personal mobility devices, particularly electric scooters, due to the use of lower-quality batteries.
"High-safety batteries are reserved primarily for cars, leaving electric scooters with less reliable options," he said.
He warned that many such vehicles lack a battery management system (BMS) to prevent overcharging, thereby increasing the potential dangers.
"Comprehensive measures are crucial. Regulations requiring the installation of BMS and routine safety checks are needed," Lee said.
Kim Pil-soo, a professor of automotive engineering at Daelim University, stressed the importance of thorough safety checks before electric scooters are released into the market, especially since most are imported from China.
"Devices with these batteries must undergo rigorous certification and verification processes, including overcharge prevention functions, when imported," he said.
"Comprehensive inspections, rather than just sampling, are essential in safety-critical areas, regardless of the quantity being imported."