The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Toddler drowns in pool at unstaffed kids’ cafe

By Yoon Min-sik

Published : July 23, 2023 - 11:18

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(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

A 2-year-old girl has died after falling into a pool at an unstaffed kids cafe in Incheon, which was absent of any safety personnel, local police said Sunday.

According to the Incheon Seobu Police Station, the child was playing at the facility in Seo-gu, Incheon, Saturday morning, when she fell into the pool with a depth of 67 centimeters. The parent called 119 emergency services, which attempted to resuscitate the child while taking her to a nearby hospital, to no avail.

The incident was reported to the Incheon Seobu Police Station around 11:37 a.m.

Kids cafes are indoor play areas for young children equipped with various toys and facilities, and are commonly found in South Korea. Kids pool cafes with small indoor pools for children to play in have recently been rising in popularity.

The particular facility in question was operated without any staff members, meaning no employee was present to prevent disasters like this from happening.

Police are conducting an investigation to find the exact cause of death for the child, if sufficient safety measures were implemented and who should be held responsible for the tragedy.

Clause 15-2 of the Act on the Safety Control of Children's Play states that an operator of a “water-type children's play facility” should deploy safety personnel while children are using the facility.