South Korea Eases Fire Compartment Rules for Semiconductor Plant Piping Shafts

South Korea has exempted vertical equipment-piping shafts in semiconductor plants from a mandatory fire-resistant floor requirement, under a partial amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act promulgated as Presidential Decree No. 36746 in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21334 of 6 October 2026. The decree was signed by President Lee Jae-myung, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-seon, and took effect on the day of promulgation. A companion ministerial rule published in the same issue, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ordinance No. 1631, tightens exterior cladding standards for hazardous-material facilities.

Exemption for Semiconductor Piping Shafts

The decree inserts a new subparagraph 9 into Article 46(2), which governs where fire compartments must be installed. It permits the omission of a fire-resistant structural floor in the vertical passage housing equipment piping of a building used as a semiconductor plant, provided that all three of the following conditions are met:

• The section must have undergone review and assessment by a performance-based design evaluation panel under Article 8(5) of the Act on Installation and Management of Fire-Fighting Systems.
• Sprinkler equipment must be installed in that section.
• The vertical passage containing the equipment piping must be separated from other parts of the building by fire compartments.

The stated rationale is to remedy shortcomings identified in the operation of the existing system. Under the supplementary provisions, the new exemption applies not only to future projects but also to applications and filings already submitted before the decree took effect, including building permits, building reports, applications for change of use, and approvals deemed granted under other laws.

Stricter Cladding for Hazardous-Material Facilities

The same decree rewrites Article 61(2) subparagraph 5 and creates a new subparagraph 6, adding buildings used for hazardous-material storage and processing facilities to the category subject to reinforced exterior finishing requirements. The corresponding technical standard is set by Ordinance No. 1631 of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which amends the Rules on Evacuation and Fire-Prevention Structures of Buildings.

Under the revised Article 24(6) of those rules, exterior walls of buildings covered by Article 61(2) subparagraphs 1 through 3 and 5 may use non-combustible or quasi-non-combustible materials, with a limited allowance for flame-retardant materials where a fire-spread prevention structure approved by the minister is installed. For buildings covered by the newly added subparagraph 6 — hazardous-material storage and processing facilities — only non-combustible materials are permitted, a tightening from the previous “non-combustible or quasi-non-combustible” standard.

The ordinance introduces other changes:

• A composite fire shutter fitted with an evacuation fire door no longer requires a separate fire door within three metres.
• The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology advisory committee, which reviews performance certification for newly developed or non-standard products, may now also review quality certification.
• Terminology in the industrial facilities category of the attached table changes from “natural circulation-related facilities” to “resource circulation-related facilities”.

Timetable and Scope

The two instruments take effect on different schedules:

• The Enforcement Decree of the Building Act (Presidential Decree No. 36746) entered into force on 6 October 2026, except for the Article 61(2) amendment, which applies six months after promulgation.
• The Rules on Evacuation and Fire-Prevention Structures of Buildings (Ordinance No. 1631) also entered into force on 6 October 2026, with the Article 24(6) cladding standard applying six months after promulgation.
• The cladding standard applies to permit applications, building reports and change-of-use filings submitted on or after that later date.

Impact for Investors and Operators

The change matters to semiconductor and chemical equipment investors: it removes a costly structural requirement from the vertical piping shafts that dominate advanced fab layouts, while simultaneously raising the fire-safety bar on the outer skin of hazardous-material facilities. For operators, the practical effect is a shorter and cheaper path to permitting new fab lines, offset by stricter material specifications on chemical storage and processing buildings from six months after promulgation.

Source: 관보 (Republic of Korea Official Gazette), 제21334호, 2026-10-06, 【대통령령】, p. 8 (official reference: 대통령령 제36746호).