Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Electric kickboard batteries blamed for 467 fires in five-year period
A person walks past a row of electric kickboards, also known as electric scooters, parked on a Seoul street in this May 22, 2023 file photo. Batteries used for electric kickboards caused 467 fires that occurred between 2019 and 2023, according to the National Fire Agency on Wednesday. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Batteries used for electric kickboards, also known as electric scooters, caused 467 fires that occurred between 2019 and 2023, according to the National Fire Agency on Wednesday.
The agency’s data shows that four people were killed and 64 others injured nationwide due to the battery-caused incidents. Last year alone, such batteries were the source of 114 fires that killed two people and injured 28 others, compared with just 46 cases in 2019.
More than 57 percent of the fires started when the battery (or batteries) were being charged, possibly as a result of overheating due to the high electric current.
Such fires happened most frequently during summer (June-August) with 175 cases, followed by fall (118), spring (99) and winter (75).
The agency didn’t specify the types of battery that caused the fires but lithium-ion batteries are the most common type used in electric kickboards and electric bicycles.
As such devices continue to grow in number around the country, so too have concerns over the safety of their batteries.
In one of the most recent battery-caused fires, a warehouse filled with packaged goods was destroyed in Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, last month.