Five die in explosion at Hanwha Aerospace plant in Daejeon; investigation ongoing

Hanwha Aerospace, a defense affiliate of Hanwha Group, said Sunday it has launched an independent committee to oversee the company's safety system following this month's deadly fire at its factory that claimed five lives. The defense company said the new committee includes 11 external safety experts who will inspect Hanwha Aerospace's overall safety conditions and suggest ways to improve the overall working environment. The announcement came after a fire at the company's factory in Daejeon, located about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, killed five people and injured two others. The committee will also include two members recommended by the company's labor union. Hanwha Aerospace, meanwhile, said it invested 247 billion won ($162 million) in 2025 to improve the company's safety environment, up sharply from 11.4 billion won the previous year. The company plans to invest 452.4 billion won this year to further improve workplace safety, it added.

The chief executive officer of Hanwha Aerospace has been booked over a deadly explosion at one of the company's plants last week, labor authorities said Monday. Sohn Jae-il is suspected of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in connection with the June 1 explosion that killed five workers and injured two others in the central city of Daejeon, according to the Daejeon Regional Employment and Labor Office. The Daejeon police said they have separately booked Ga Jae-woong, the head of the Daejeon plant, over alleged professional negligence resulting in death and injury. Ga was earlier booked by the labor office on suspicion of violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Three Hanwha Aerospace officials, including Sohn and Ga, have been banned from leaving the country, police said. "We will do our best to clearly determine the cause of the accident and who was responsible through a meticulous investigation," a police official said.

The first funeral for one of five people killed in a deadly factory explosion at Hanwha Aerospace, a defense company, was held in the central city of Daejeon on Saturday. A blast at the Hanwha Aerospace facility on Monday killed five people and injured two others, with company officials saying the workers were cleaning propellant powder residue from tools used in the production of propulsion systems at the time of the explosion. The funeral for one of the victims took place at a funeral parlor in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in the morning with the attendance of his bereaved family, relatives and company executives. This week's explosion marked the latest fatal incident at the Hanwha Aerospace factory following an explosion in 2018 that claimed five lives and another explosion the following year that left three people killed.

Labor authorities raided defense company Hanwha Aerospace on Thursday as part of an investigation into a deadly fire at the company's factory earlier this week. Workplace safety officials from the labor ministry, joined by police investigators, carried out the searches and seizures at the company's headquarters in Seoul and the factory in Daejeon, about 140 kilometers south of the capital. An explosion at the facility on Monday killed five people and injured two others. Company officials have said workers were cleaning propellant powder residue from tools used in the production of propulsion systems at the time of the explosion. The authorities plan to secure documents related to the cleaning work and check whether proper safety measures had been observed for the cleaning work. The Daejeon Regional Office of Employment and Labor said it plans to "thoroughly" investigate the cause of the explosion, vowing to "sternly" seek accountability if any violations of workplace safety laws are found. It marked the latest fatal incident at the factory following an explosion in 2018 that claimed five

Hanwha Aerospace, a defense affiliate of Hanwha Group, said Thursday it will suspend operations at all of its production facilities and conduct special safety inspections following a deadly explosion at its Daejeon facility. The company said it will halt operations at its nine business sites nationwide for two days starting Thursday, marking the first companywide production shutdown since its establishment in 2023. Some essential production processes, however, will be exempt from the suspension. The explosion at the facility, located about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday killed five people and injured two others. Police have launched a joint investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. The company said it has concluded that securing a safe working environment is a higher priority than avoiding temporary production disruptions caused by the suspension of operations. During the shutdown, all business sites will conduct comprehensive inspections of potential fire and explosion hazards, major industrial accident risks, unsafe conditions and facilities, risk assessment

Hanwha Aerospace, a defense affiliate of Hanwha Group, said Thursday it will suspend operations at all of its production facilities and conduct special safety inspections following a deadly explosion at its Daejeon facility. The company said it will halt operations at its nine business sites nationwide for two days starting Thursday, marking the first companywide production shutdown since its establishment. The explosion at the facility, located about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday killed five people and injured two others. Police have launched a joint investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. The company said it has concluded that securing a safe working environment is a higher priority than avoiding temporary production disruptions caused by the suspension of operations. The Daejeon plant is a key defense facility and is designated as a secret defense factory. It makes various weapons systems, including the Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM). The affected production lines generated 1.32 trillion won ($870 million)