Transport minister Won Hee-ryong ordered an inspection of 55 state-managed noise-barrier tunnels and others run by local governments following Thursday's tunnel fire in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province that killed five people and injured dozens of others.

At a meeting with officials on Friday, Won said planned or ongoing tunnel construction projects will be halted to replace flammable materials and to change building methods. The ministry will also seek to rebuild tunnels that have already been completed, if possible.

The minister, who earlier visited the site of the fire along the Second Gyeongin Expressway, said experts had recommended in 2016 that the cost-effective acrylic material often used as a sound absorber be replaced due to fire concerns.

Noting that there had been similar fires in 2020 and in 2021, without casualties, he said his ministry had ordered a study into the matter after the Board of Audit and Inspection raised related concerns late last year.

Won said that as the minister in charge, he felt strongly responsible for the government's lax response, stressing that people's lives and safety should be the utmost priority.