social-the life-threatening escape cafes

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The life-threatening escape cafes.docx

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The life-threatening escape cafes

by Hwang, se-yeon, Social Reporter, charlevoix@mju.ac.kr

Five teenage girls died when a fire broke out at an escape cafe in the northern Polish city of Koshalin. The escape game is a new type of game of only after solving a quiz inside a room can you go outside. Polish prosecutors announced that they have arrested the man who made this escape cafe in the city of Koshalin, where five 15-year-old girls died all at once in a fire. In the meantime, Polish prosecutors had shut down 13 escape cafes for safety reasons right after the incident, and the prime minister issued a statement asking people to report such games to the police or fire department if they  found anyone playing such games.

The escape game is also popular in Korea. More than 200 escape cafes are run in Korea. It is not difficult to find escape cafes when you are walking around the street. Most of the escape cafes are designed to let players out from the room only if the staff open the entrance door directly even in the case of an emergency, such as a fire. Only a few places have been installed with fire escape lights, and many are invisible because it is hidden from interior decoration. Experts say that if a fire occurs, the structure of the cafe is much more dangerous than that of study room or Karaoke. One escape cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, has seven different theme rooms along the corridor, which is about one meter wide. When the staff chooses one, the staff will take the player’s smartphones and make them wear the blindfold.  This is because the players might leak the contents of the quiz or the structure outside the cafe. They even do not provide education on countermeasures in case of an emergency, such as a fire. The interior of the room consists of materials that are vulnerable to fire such as cloth and vinyl.

Other escape cafes were similar. Each room in Mapo-gu, Seoul has an emergency button that opens automatically, but it is often impossible to open when you press it. Fire can cause serious casualties, but escape cafes are not included in "multi-use stores" under the law. The businesses designated as multi-use businesses such as karaoke and screen golf courses should use fire-resistant materials that are not easily burnt during construction. They will also be inspected for safety at the fire station. However, the escape cafe is not subject to such restrictions as it only needs to report to the district office as a free service. But there are many nations that restrict the escape cafes. For example, Japan will not be allowed to run any escape cafes if its rooms are without smoke and exhaust facilities in case of fire hazard under the Fire Service Act. And in the U.S, if someone wants to open an escape cafe, he/she needs to complete a fire risk assessment.

The Korean National Emergency Management Agency is also preparing standards for fire safety diagnosis on escape cafes. The game of solving a quiz and escaping a room within the time limit can be thrilling, but don't forget that it can could possibly kill you. I hope that escaping for fun will not lead to an escape for life.