Incheon fire victim's family presses city on stalled compensation before anniversary
In short
Families of a victim of the 1999 Inhyeon-dong fire and civic groups held a press conference outside Incheon City Hall on Oct 6, demanding that the city convene the compensation review committee for Lee Ji-hye, who was 17 when she died, before the 27th anniversary on Oct 30. The legal basis was created when Jung-gu revised its ordinance in March, but Incheon's July administrative reorganization, which split Jung-gu into Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu, stalled the process. The city said the procedure was temporarily suspended and would resume soon after talks with the two districts, according to Hankook Ilbo.
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Families of a victim of the 1999 Inhyeon-dong fire and civic groups held a press conference in front of Incheon City Hall on Oct 6, demanding that the city complete compensation procedures before the 27th anniversary of the disaster on Oct 30. The 10·30 Inhyeon-dong fire victims' families council and Incheon civic groups, which Hankook Ilbo counted as eight organisations, said the compensation review committee for Lee Ji-hye, who was 17 at the time of the fire, has still not been convened. They said the process “has stopped again” over the question of which district inherits the duties, and called on Incheon city to “step in and solve the problem” itself, Yonhap reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
The fire broke out on Oct 30, 1999 in Inhyeon-dong, Jung-gu, killing 57 people and injuring more than 80, including 52 students who were inside the beer hall, according to Yonhap. Hankook Ilbo described the fire as starting in a basement karaoke room of a four-story commercial building and spreading to the second-floor beer hall, which it said was operating illegally; Yonhap said the fire broke out at the beer hall. Lee, a high school sophomore, died in the beer hall, where she worked part-time, and Hankook Ilbo said the day of the fire was her first day of work. [ 1 , 2 ]
The district enacted an ordinance the following year, in 2000, paying compensation to the dead and injured, but the ordinance excluded the person who caused the fire, the perpetrator and employees, so Lee's family received nothing. Hankook Ilbo reported that her mother, Kim Young-soon, filed a complaint with the district in February seeking her daughter's rehabilitation, after which the National Rights Commission said it could find nothing to hold Lee responsible and recommended revising the ordinance. Jung-gu approved the revision in March, creating the legal basis for her compensation. [ 1 , 2 ]
Six months later the compensation review committee has still not met, which the families' council attributes to Incheon's July administrative reorganization. Under the reorganization, the old downtown area of Jung-gu that includes Inhyeon-dong and Yeongjong Island were divided into Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu respectively, leaving unresolved which district takes over the related work and responsibility. The families demanded a concrete implementation schedule, including the committee meeting, before Oct 30, and Hankook Ilbo reported that they warned of a “strong response,” including a boycott of the 27th anniversary memorial, if responsibility continued to be passed around. [ 1 , 2 ]
The city said the compensation procedure was temporarily halted by the administrative reorganization and that it would consult with Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu to restart follow-up procedures soon, according to Hankook Ilbo. No date for the compensation review committee has been reported. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The case tests whether Incheon's newly created districts honour obligations to victims of one of the city's deadliest fires, 26 years after the original compensation ordinance. With the 27th anniversary on Oct 30, families have said they could boycott the memorial if the process is not restarted, putting pressure on the city and the two new districts to settle which one inherits the work.
Key facts
- Families and civic groups held a press conference in front of Incheon City Hall on Oct 6, 2026 over delayed compensation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- They demanded that the compensation review committee for Lee Ji-hye be held before the 27th anniversary of the fire on Oct 30. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Ji-hye, then 17, died in the Oct 30, 1999 Inhyeon-dong fire while working part-time at the beer hall. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The 1999 fire killed 57 people and injured more than 80, and 52 students who were in the beer hall were among the dead, according to Yonhap. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Jung-gu revised the compensation ordinance in March 2026 after a National Rights Commission recommendation, creating the legal basis for Lee's compensation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Incheon's July 2026 administrative reorganization split Jung-gu into Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu, and the handover of duties and responsibility remains unresolved. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Families said they could boycott the 27th anniversary memorial and take stronger action, according to Hankook Ilbo. [ 2 ]
- The city said the compensation procedure was temporarily suspended and that it would consult the two districts and resume follow-up procedures soon, Hankook Ilbo reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The press conference was held in front of Incheon City Hall on Oct 6 by the 10·30 Inhyeon-dong fire victims' families council and civic groups. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Ji-hye was working part-time at the beer hall when she died in the 1999 fire at the age of 17. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The 1999 fire killed 57 people. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Jung-gu revised its compensation ordinance in March after a National Rights Commission recommendation, opening the way for Lee to seek compensation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The July administrative reorganization that divided Jung-gu into Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu is the reason the compensation process has stalled. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Families demanded that the city present a concrete implementation schedule, including holding the compensation review committee, before Oct 30. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Where the 1999 fire started Yonhap says the fire broke out at a beer hall in Inhyeon-dong, while Hankook Ilbo says it started in a basement karaoke room of a four-story commercial building and spread to the second-floor beer hall.
- Which district, Jemulpo-gu or Yeongjong-gu, will take over the compensation work Both documents state the transfer of duties and responsibility is unresolved; no decision is reported.
- Whether the compensation review committee will actually be held before Oct 30 The demand comes from families and civic groups; the city is reported only as saying follow-up procedures will resume soon, in a single document.
- The city's position on the families' threat to boycott the 27th anniversary memorial The boycott threat and the city's response are reported only by Hankook Ilbo, with no city comment on the threat itself.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap reports the Oct 6 press conference at Incheon City Hall, where families and civic groups demanded the compensation review committee be held before Oct 30. [ 1 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the same press conference, including the families' boycott threat and the city's response that follow-up procedures will resume soon. [ 2 ]