President Lee Jae-myung visited the site of a factory fire at Anjeon Industry, an auto parts manufacturer in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, on January 21 to inspect firefighting and search operations for missing persons. President Lee instructed officials to "consider advance payments to bereaved families even if the government incurs losses, with subsequent reimbursement claims to relevant agencies." He also disclosed Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik's phone number, telling the families, "Contact him if anything is inadequate."
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said in a written briefing that President Lee shook hands with firefighters waiting near fire trucks and ambulances at the scene, encouraging those giving their best in rescue operations and urging them to ensure thorough recovery of remaining missing persons. The president then received a report from the head of the National Fire Agency's Central Emergency Rescue Control on casualties, medical support for survivors, and search operations, after which he specifically checked the ignition point, the scale of deployed rescue personnel, and the progress of the search.
The previous day, President Lee had ordered the "immediate mobilization of all available equipment and personnel for accident response and rescue." He visited the site on January 21 to receive status reports from fire authorities and confirm search operations.
According to spokesperson Kang, after surveying the fire scene, President Lee asked about the cause of the fire's rapid spread and instructed officials to "recover the three missing persons and quickly confirm their identities." He also ordered special attention to safety, saying, "Consider the risk of building collapse and take extra care to prevent secondary accidents." President Lee then met with bereaved families, holding their hands tightly and offering condolences.
President Lee listened to the families' comments and instructed the head of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters to take responsibility for managing the site until it stabilizes. The bereaved families requested prompt and detailed explanations of the accident circumstances, expedited identity confirmation, and establishment of a memorial altar at Daejeon City Hall.
After recording all requests in his notebook, President Lee instructed officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the National Fire Agency to designate on-site managers for permanent presence and provide regular detailed briefings to bereaved families on the accident cause and rescue status. He additionally ordered that one or two family members be allowed to participate in the joint investigation team operated by police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, while maintaining security protocols.
President Lee specifically instructed, "Consider advance payments to bereaved families even if the government incurs losses, with subsequent reimbursement claims to relevant agencies." Before leaving the scene, when a family member requested continued attention until the case is resolved, President Lee said, "I will give you the Chief of Staff's phone number, so contact him if anything is inadequate," demonstrating his commitment to thorough accident response.
Meanwhile, all 14 missing persons were confirmed dead after one body was found at the fire scene in the morning and three more were discovered around 5 p.m. The injured total 59, including two firefighters hurt during firefighting operations. The fire broke out around 1:17 p.m. the previous day and spread rapidly, forcing emergency evacuation of all factory employees. Of the 170 workers in the factory at the time, 14 lost contact, prompting fire authorities to conduct search operations since the previous night.