Residential fires also a concern during Chuseok holiday; carelessness while cooking cited as top cause
The Ministry of Interior and Safety on Monday urged the public to take extra care to avoid traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday travel period and residential fires caused by holiday cooking.
Over the past five years (2021–2025), the day with the highest number of traffic accidents around the Chuseok holiday was the day before the holiday began, with an average of 750 accidents — about 1.4 times the daily average of 541 on normal days.
On the day before the holiday, accidents began rising from 2 p.m. and peaked between 4 and 6 p.m., averaging 123 incidents during that two-hour window.
While the total number of traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday is lower than on ordinary days, the casualty rate is higher — 166 people per 100 accidents, compared with 144 on normal days — making safe driving especially important.
To prevent accidents during the holiday, when long-distance travel surges, drivers should inspect their engine, brakes and tires before departure, ensure all passengers buckle up, and secure children in age-appropriate car seats.
Drivers should also maintain a safe following distance, exercise extra caution on unfamiliar roads, and pull into a rest stop or designated drowsy-driving rest area if fatigue sets in during long trips.
Drunk driving is particularly prevalent during holidays. The ministry stressed that anyone who has had even a single drink must not get behind the wheel.
Residential fires also pose a heightened risk during Chuseok, as households use open flames more frequently while preparing traditional holiday food.
A total of 1,122 fires broke out over the Chuseok holiday period — covering Sunday, Chuseok day itself and the following day — in the past five years. The share of residential fires was 9.4 percentage points higher than the year-round average of 27.2 percent over the same period, with Chuseok day itself recording the highest daily average at 32.8 fires.
By cause, carelessness — including leaving food unattended on the stove or abandoning an open flame — accounted for the largest share at 194 cases (47.2 percent), followed by electrical factors at 126 cases (30.7 percent) and mechanical factors at 17 cases (4.1 percent).
To prevent residential fires during the holiday, the ministry advised people to clear flammable materials away from burners while cooking and never to leave a lit stove unattended.
If cooking oil overheats and catches fire, the first step is to cut the gas or power supply. Water must never be used, as it can cause hot oil to splatter or spread the flames.
For cooking-oil fires, a Class K fire extinguisher designed for kitchen use is far safer and more effective than a standard dry-powder extinguisher, the ministry said.
"We urge everyone to stay especially alert to traffic accidents and fires during the holiday period, and wish you a safe and joyful Chuseok," said Ha Jong-mok, director general of the ministry's disaster prevention policy bureau.
thlee@heraldcorp.com
