What National Fire Agency does

The National Fire Agency (소방청) is a central government administrative agency of the Republic of Korea responsible for nationwide fire prevention, suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services, headquartered in Sejong City with a nationwide footprint covering all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces. It operates a vertically integrated delivery model: the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters coordinates nationwide rescue operations; 17 metropolitan/provincial fire departments and 8 provincial fire schools execute field operations and training; the National Fire Service Academy (campuses in Gongju and Cheonan, established 1978) standardizes firefighter education through 6 academic departments and approximately 107 courses supported by 11 training facilities totaling 18,036 sq.m, 31 lecture rooms, 1,726 trainee seats, and dormitory capacity for 330 trainees; and the National Fire Research Institute (Asan) handles fire-science R&D and standards.

The agency's technology portfolio combines a citizen-facing digital stack — the Fire Safety Big Data Platform (bigdata-119.kr, launched 2025-09), the 119 Metaverse Safety Education Program (119metaverse.nfa.go.kr, launched 2024-09), the 119 Safety Reporting Center, the Fire Civil Service Center (safeland.go.kr / Somin), the National Fire Information Center (nfds.go.kr), the National Hazardous Materials Information System (hazmat.nfa.go.kr), and a Public Data Open Service — with an internal training stack comprising a Disaster Scene VR Program, AI Complex Culture Studio, and 11 specialized Cyber Education courses. A dedicated Fire AI Climate Crisis Response Division (소방AI기후위기대응과) and a Public Data Open Service linked to data.go.kr indicate deliberate AI and open-data capability building. Distribution spans physical nodes (HQ, annex, academy campuses, R&D institute, 17 metro/provincial fire depts, 8 provincial fire schools) and digital channels (official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Naver Blog, Kakao+, and the 119 emergency hotline plus 1661-9119 paid fire-facility civil-service line).

The business model is 100% publicly funded through the South Korean national budget via the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, with no commercial sales motion for core fire and emergency services. The only disclosed non-appropriation revenue is a nominal pay-as-you-go fee on the 1661-9119 fire-facility civil-service hotline. Customer segments are the general South Korean public (primary), multi-use facility operators requiring fire-facility compliance, fire-service personnel and trainees, and provincial/municipal governments for inter-jurisdictional coordination. The agency is led by a Fire Commissioner (소방감), with Kim Tae-han (김태한) currently serving as Head of the National Fire Service Academy.

Name

National Fire Agency

Legal name

National Fire Agency (소방청)

Website

https://nfa.go.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

National Fire Agency (소방청) is South Korea's central government agency for nationwide fire prevention, suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services, serving all citizens across 17 provinces, with 10,000+ employees, a national training academy, and a digital platform portfolio including a Big Data Platform and Metaverse Safety Education Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Public Safety & Emergency Management (Police, Fire, EMS Oversight) (BPAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

Keywords

• Fire emergency services
• Public safety services
• Disaster response services
• Firefighter training programs
• Emergency medical services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sejung

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government budget allocation: Funded through the South Korean national budget (Ministry of the Interior and Safety) via general taxation; no commercial revenue from citizens for core fire/emergency services. Revenue mix is 100% public appropriation.
2. Civil complaint hotline paid service: Revenue from paid fire-facility civil-service hotline (1661-9119), a minor paid-information channel for fire-facility-related inquiries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Fire Agency (소방청) is the central government agency of the Republic of Korea responsible for nationwide fire prevention, suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services. It operates the 119 emergency hotline, the National Fire Service Academy, 17 metropolitan/provincial fire departments, 8 provincial fire schools, and digital platforms including the Fire Safety Big Data Platform and Metaverse Safety Education. Core services are publicly funded and delivered free of charge to all residents and visitors.

Product overview

National Fire Agency (소방청) operates a platform-plus-modules digital portfolio that combines citizen-facing services, training systems, and open-data infrastructure under one government agency. The umbrella agency hosts the Fire Safety Big Data Platform (bigdata-119.kr), the Metaverse Safety Education Program (119metaverse.nfa.go.kr), the National Hazardous Materials Information System (hazmat.nfa.go.kr), and the National Fire Information Center (nfds.go.kr), each functioning as a module of the agency's public safety ecosystem. Citizen services include the 119 Safety Reporting Center, the Fire Civil Service Center (Somin), and the Public Data Open Service. Training and education are delivered through the National Fire Service Academy's Central Fire Service Academy Training Programs, the Disaster Scene VR Program, and Cyber Education across 11 specialized fields, which together support command, specialized, and newly-appointed firefighter education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Fire Service Academy (중앙소방학교): Central fire service training and education institution operating campuses in Gongju and Cheonan, with approximately 107 educational programs across six divisions.

Products and services

• 119 Emergency Response Services Nationwide 24/7 fire, rescue, and emergency medical dispatch and response delivered through the 119 hotline and the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters, available to all residents and visitors in South Korea.
• Fire Safety Big Data Platform (소방안전 빅데이터 플랫폼) National big-data environment consolidating nationwide fire-safety and incident statistics, accessible as a public-linked institution from the NFA homepage.
• Metaverse Safety Education Program (메타버스 안전교육 프로그램) Immersive metaverse-based public safety education and training environment operated through the National Fire Service Academy, combining 3D visual environments, audio, and interactive text instruction.
• 119 Safety Reporting Center (119 안전신고센터) Public safety incident reporting portal reachable from the agency homepage, enabling citizens to file safety reports.
• Fire Civil Service Center — Somin (소방민원센터 소민터) Civil complaint and fire-facility service portal linked from the agency homepage, paired with the paid hotline 1661-9119 for fire-facility public services.
• National Fire Information Center (소방청 국가화재정보센터) Centralized national fire-data information system providing statistical and incident data, operated in partnership with the agency.
• National Hazardous Materials Information System (국가위험물정보시스템) Hazardous-materials information system operated by the Korea Fire Institute under the National Fire Agency, providing safety data for dangerous goods.
• Public Data Open Service (공공데이터 개방) Agency-operated public-data open portal that publishes fire-safety and incident data for external developers and the public.
• Central Fire Service Academy Training Programs (중앙소방학교 교육과정) Approximately 107 standardized training courses across 6 divisions (command, specialized, newly-appointed, public/civil, international, and cyber) operated by the National Fire Service Academy for firefighter and rescue personnel.
• Disaster Scene VR Program (재난현장 VR프로그램) VR-based disaster response simulation operated by the National Fire Service Academy for command training, including flashover, hostile-fire, and live briefing practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 training facilities spanning 18,036 sq.m supporting national firefighter education
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record.

• National Fire Service Academy (중앙소방학교)Strategic or Co-development PartnerCentral training subsidiary of the NFA operating from Gongju and Cheonan campuses. Delivers 6 academic departments and ~107 educational courses for firefighter and rescue training, established 1978-09-04.
• Central 119 Rescue Headquarters (중앙119구조본부)Strategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated institution coordinating nationwide 119 rescue operations under NFA oversight.
• National Fire Research Institute (국립소방연구원)Strategic or Co-development PartnerR&D subsidiary located at 376 Songak-ro, Songak-myeon, Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do; supports fire-science research, technical standards, and testing.
• 17 Metropolitan/Provincial Fire Departments (시도소방본부)Channel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor21 provincial fire headquarters (17 시도소방본부) act as operational field arms delivering local fire-prevention, suppression, rescue and EMS services under NFA supervision.
• Korea Fire Industry Technology Institute (한국소방산업기술원, KFI)Implementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndustry technology institute linked from the NFA homepage; provides fire-industry testing, certification, and technology-support services.
• Fire Safety Big Data Platform (소방안전 빅데이터 플랫폼)Technology or IntegrationBig-data platform linked from the NFA homepage that aggregates nationwide fire occurrence statistics and related safety information for public and government use.
• Fire Civil Service Center / safeland.go.krTechnology or IntegrationOnline fire-facility civil-service portal linked from the NFA homepage; supports online civil complaints and fire-facility public services (paired with paid hotline 1661-9119).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• London Fire Brigade: The largest fire and rescue service in the UK, operating under the Mayor of London's office. Comparable in operational scope (prevention, suppression, rescue, training) and digital modernization efforts, but jurisdictionally limited to Greater London rather than nationwide.
• NSW Rural Fire Service: Australia's largest fire service, responsible for wildfire and rural fire response across New South Wales. Comparable in operational mandate (especially wildfire risk), training infrastructure, and volunteer-plus-career workforce model, but operates at sub-national level rather than nationwide.
• Tokyo Fire Department: One of the world's largest metropolitan fire departments, serving Tokyo's 14 million residents. Comparable in scale of operations, training depth (Tokyo Fire Academy), and emphasis on disaster preparedness for high-density urban and earthquake-risk environments, but operates at metropolitan rather than national level.

Direct peers

• China Ministry of Emergency Management - Fire Rescue Bureau: China's national fire and rescue bureau, restructured in 2018 under the Ministry of Emergency Management. Direct peer with comparable nationwide statutory mandate, training academies, and now-broadening emergency-response scope including disaster management.
• New Zealand Fire and Emergency: New Zealand's unified national fire and emergency service combining urban fire, rural fire, and emergency response under a single crown entity. Direct comparable in unified statutory mandate, nationwide deployment model, and integration of wildfire and structural fire response.
• Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF): Singapore's national agency combining firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services under a single statutory command — functionally equivalent to NFA but for a city-state. Comparable operational model with strong emphasis on training, public education, and emergency preparedness.
• Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA): Japan's national agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications responsible for fire prevention, suppression, emergency response, and disaster management nationwide. Most direct structural peer: same statutory mandate, similar nationwide headquarters + prefectural branch network, and parallel training academy.

Broad incumbents

• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency, USA): U.S. federal agency under DHS covering all-hazards emergency management including fire, but with a broader mandate that includes natural disasters, terrorism, and federal aid coordination. Comparable in scale and statutory fire-protection role but materially broader in scope than NFA's fire-specific mandate.

Others

• Korea Fire Institute (KFI / 한국소방산업기술원): Public institution under NFA oversight providing fire-industry testing, certification, and technology-support services. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but referenced as a strategic implementation/consulting partner linked from NFA's homepage.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/safeppy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbPBCZhgG_kX_1Wb0cdu5lw
• Facebookfacebook.com/safeppy
• Instagraminstagram.com/korea_fire_119

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Fire Agency