Why a Fire Safety Task Force Was Launched
In July 2026, Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, together with the National Fire Agency and other ministries, launched a task force on fire safety regulation for logistics facilities. Even after standards were tightened in 2021 following the Icheon warehouse fire, warehouse fires still occur more than 1,000 times a year. The recurrence of large-scale incidents made it clear that the issue lies in regulatory design, not merely in individual site management.
The task force is reviewing three main areas:
Critically, this discussion is unlikely to stop at new construction. If retroactive requirements are included, operating centers will also need a response plan.
New Risks Created by Automation
High-Bay Racking and Dense Storage
AS/RS racking frequently exceeds 30 meters. Aisles are narrow and goods are stacked close to the ceiling, so a fire starting at floor level spreads vertically through a chimney effect—and ceiling sprinklers alone cannot deliver water to the seat of the fire. This is why in-rack sprinklers are essential.
Lithium-Ion Charging Zones
As AMRs and electric forklifts proliferate, charging areas have become a new ignition risk. Lithium-ion fires involve thermal runaway, which conventional suppression systems struggle to extinguish, and re-ignition is common. Charging zones should be separated into dedicated fire compartments, with continuous monitoring of battery temperature and voltage anomalies.
Detection Delay in Unmanned Zones
Where no staff are present, visual discovery is impossible. A five-minute delay in initial detection can multiply damage many times over, making the reliability of automated detection the effective ceiling on safety performance.
What Makes Cold Storage Different
Cold storage is the most demanding facility type from a fire safety perspective.
Recently, combining aspirating smoke detection (ASD) with thermal imaging cameras has gained traction as a way to improve detection reliability in low-temperature environments.
Safety as a System: Integrating WMS and WCS
Fire safety is not solely a matter of fire protection equipment. Effective response requires a system that knows what is stored where, and how much of it.
An Operator's Checklist
The POLYGLOTSOFT Approach
POLYGLOTSOFT designs an integration layer that connects WMS/WCS with fire detection and equipment control systems. Because it adds a safety interface layer rather than replacing your existing warehouse management system, it can be deployed in stages without interrupting operations.
The regulatory overhaul is still under discussion, and final standards have not been set. In this situation, a structure that can expand flexibly once requirements are confirmed is preferable to committing to one large investment upfront. With POLYGLOTSOFT's subscription development service, a dedicated team works on a monthly basis to evolve your system as requirements change. If you are evaluating safety system integration for your distribution center, we would be glad to talk.