Fires and fire prevention measures in Korea from 1392 to 1910

This article focuses on fires and fire prevention measures in Korea from 1392 to 1910. Fires have been investigated on the basis of The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and The Daily Records of the Royal Secretariat, both a part of the Memory of the World Program in Korea. This study has produced “Chronology of Fires in 1392-1910”, a collection of fire incidents based on the two works noted above. This chronology identifies loss of human lives and damage to property caused by fires by year, period, place, primary cause of fire, and fire prevention measures. For private houses and government offices, the distribution of fire in each area was investigated; different results were revealed based on the population and characteristics of each historical document. Numerous fire ordinances and measures from the 1400s were found. Following the great fire in Hanyang in the early 1600s, roofs of private houses around the palace were replaced with tile. The king regarded the fire outbreaks as punishment for his own lack of virtue, the imbalance of yin and yang, and the heavens' warnings; thus, he authorized other fire preventive activities associated with folk beliefs. Generally, fire prevention measures from 1392 to 1910 can be classified according to fire prevention, alarm and fire suppression.