Our partner in South Korea: Shilla Fire

The international FireDos Partner Meeting this May was the perfect chance to catch up with our long-time partner Shilla Fire from South Korea – represented by John. After three days packed with expert presentations and workshops about fire protection and extinguishing technology, we sat down for a more personal chat. The result? A charming, honest conversation about our partnership, trends in the Korean market – and a few fun insights into Korean life.

John, thanks so much for taking the time for this interview after all those presentations these past days.

Thank you – the pleasure is all mine!

 

So, what’s your impression of the FireDos Partner Meeting? 

It’s been fantastic. I’ve been really impressed – especially by your company. Visiting the FireDos site in Wölfersheim was definitely my personal highlight. Seeing how and where the proportioning systems and monitors are built, tested, and shipped – I loved that. And on top of that: you have beautiful offices, and everyone was so friendly.

 

That makes me really happy to hear!
By the way, is it okay if I call you John, or do you prefer your Korean name?

John is perfect. My Korean name is a bit tricky to pronounce anyway!

Tell us a bit about yourself, please: what’s your role at Shilla Fire?

I’m the COO and CFO. I’ve been with Shilla Fire since 1997 and worked in many areas – quality management, purchasing, finance… you name it.

Wow. So, you really know the company inside and out! And what exactly does Shilla Fire do?

We were founded back in 1975 – so this year we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary.

Congrats on your 50-year milestone!

Thank you!
We have about 70 employees. We’re both a manufacturer and a reseller, and we offer complete fire protection solutions: hydrants, proportioning systems, monitors, nozzles, valves, custom systems… basically everything for stationary and mobile fire protection.

Who are your main customers?

Mostly companies from the chemical, oil & gas industry and power plants.

When it comes to FireDos, do your customers order more proportioners or more monitors?

We’re definitely team ‘FireDos Proportioners’.

Since when have you been working with FireDos?

Our official partnership started in 2018, but our connection goes back much further.
FireDos proportioners were already imported to Korea by partner companies such as MTK back in 2007 – and I still remember the former FireDos CEO visiting us in 2005. That was really the start of our cooperation.

What convinced you about FireDos?

The excellent performance of the systems, the innovative technology.

And how’s the cooperation going?

Very well! Our main contact at FireDos is your colleague Tianhe. We’re in touch regularly, usually every week, and he supports us really well.

Are there any current trends in fire protection in Korea?

Yes, definitely. Right now there’s a big demand for fire protection systems for battery storage solutions.
Environmentally friendly technologies and automation are also becoming more and more important – especially for high-risk facilities like oil & gas and power plants.
And speaking of sustainability: fluorine-free foam concentrates are a huge topic.

You arrived a few days early for the partner meeting and spent the weekend exploring Heidelberg with some colleagues. Was this your first time in Germany?

No, I’ve been to Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart before.

And how did you like Heidelberg?

It was amazing! Visiting the castle and walking along the Neckar River – unforgettable memories. Thanks to your colleague Friedrich Bruenig, who gave us a perfect tour. 

And tomorrow you’re heading back to Korea. What does a typical workday look like for you back home?

I usually start around six in the morning and finish around four in the afternoon.

I’ve never been to Korea. What should people know about life there?

Korea has a very fast-paced, dynamic culture. We say “빨리 빨리” (pali pali) – it means “hurry, hurry”. Our internet is super fast, delivery services, everything – life runs quickly! Grocery stores, restaurants – they’re open 24/7.
In Germany, for example, people enjoy their meals and take time to chat. In Korea, eating is fast – which actually makes me a very untypical Korean. I always take longer.
And fun fact: I’m not a big fan of kimchi, our traditional dish.

So, you’re not a typical Korean when it comes to eating!

No, definitely not!
Another thing about Korea: it’s a very safe country. It’s not a problem to walk around alone at night, even for women. There’s hardly any theft. There’s cameras everywhere, so people feel secure.
And of course, karaoke is hugely popular – karaoke bars are usually open 24 hours too!

Was there a special highlight for you in your work with FireDos – a success story that stands out?

There have been quite a few successful projects. But maybe the Shaheen Project from S-OIL comes to mind – one of Korea’s largest petrochemical projects at the Ulsan Refinery. In the future, six FireDos proportioning systems will help ensure fire protection there: two FD2000s and two FD4000s, plus another FD2000 and an FD6000 that will be delivered soon.

The plant produces ethylene, propylene, and plastics, and it’s using state-of-the-art technology, especially when it comes to cutting CO₂ emissions. They’re using something called Thermal Crude to Chemicals (TC2C) – basically, it converts crude oil directly into petrochemical feedstocks like LPG and naphtha. It’s way more efficient and reduces CO₂. Plus, they use the waste heat to lower the overall energy consumption.

That sounds really exciting and a great example of forward-looking technology.

John, thank you so much for this conversation. It was not only insightful but also really fun.
And once again: congratulations on 50 years of Shilla Fire.

Thank you! I’m really looking forward to our continued partnership.