A Korea Electric Power Corp. utility pole stands in Toseong-myun, Goseong County, Gangwon Province, on Friday. The pole is suspected to be the starting point of a blaze, which spread over 5.3 square kilometers of land in the province during the weekend. Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) may be forced to pay compensation for damage caused by a massive forest fire, which engulfed many towns in Gangwon Province over the past two days, as one of its utility poles is suspected of starting the blaze, according to lawyers, Sunday.



The fire started in Goseong County, Thursday night, and lasted for three days, burning an estimated 5.3 square kilometers of land in the neighboring areas of Sokcho, Gangneung and Inje.



As of 4 a.m., Sunday, one person was reported dead and one injured. More than 1,880 facilities including 400 homes were burnt down.



Though it is too soon to calculate the full extent of the damage caused by the fire, losses from damaged agricultural facilities alone were estimated at 5.2 billion won ($4.6 million).



The fire authority suspects a KEPCO utility pole in Goseong triggered the blaze. KEPCO said a circuit breaking device on the pole is assumed to be the starting point, but it was "uncertain whether the device's malfunction caused the first spark or an external factor caused the first spark."



Currently, the National Forensic Service and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.



Lawyers said KEPCO could be held responsible for the fire if the state-run power distributor is found to have poorly managed the device.



"Both civil and criminal liabilities can be filed against KEPCO, if it was found to have failed to manage the device safely," lawyer Ha Jong-sun of Barun Law said.



According to related laws: "if any damages are caused to another person by reason of any defect in the construction or maintenance of a structure, the person in possession of the structure shall be liable for such damages."



Currently, the government has designated the damaged area as a special disaster zone, which is subject to aid and subsidies from the central government. Up to 9 million won in subsidies are available for those whose homes have been damaged by the disaster, but people are saying the amount is too small to cover their losses.



Lawyers said, however, If KEPCO is found to be accountable for the fire, victims can file damage suits against the power distributor, citing the case of an earthquake in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.



Last month, a government-led research team concluded that the 2017 earthquake was triggered by a government project running a geothermal power plant nearby. Following the announcement, multiple damage suits were filed against the government, with the anticipated compensation swelling to 9 trillion won.



"If KEPCO is found accountable for the fire, there could be another legal battle over defining the scope of damage KEPCO is liable to pay to victims," another lawyer at a Seoul-based law firm said. "However, further forecasts will only be available only after the investigation of the cause."



Lawyers said the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. in the U.S. can be a reference to this case.



In January, the firm filed for bankruptcy protection because of the tens of billions of dollars in lawsuits filed by victims of massive fires in 2018 in California after state investigators determined that the firm's equipment was the cause of the fires.

