K-Defense Industry Faces Challenge of Safety Competitiveness

"There are concerns about companies' lack of safety awareness." "Similar accidents occur abroad as well. Perfection is not achievable. However, I do not view this as extremely serious. Ultimately, the problem is repetition. This cannot be seen as solely a corporate issue."

This assessment comes from domestic defense industry experts regarding safety issues in the K-defense sector. While their expressions varied, their concerns converged on one point: the need to take more seriously the fact that similar risks are recurring rather than merely acknowledging that accidents can happen in defense manufacturing.

The K-defense industry has now surpassed being merely a potential sector. Interest in South Korean weapon systems has grown in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with major defense companies securing large contracts. The domestic defense industry's order backlog has exceeded 100 trillion won, indicating a significant accumulation of production volume for the coming years. This marks a visible shift in the status of K-defense compared to the past.

As the industry expands, the emphasis on safety must increase. If workers are injured or killed in the manufacturing of weapons, it not only erodes market trust but also diminishes the significance of achievements. The ability to safely produce the quantities specified in export contracts is as crucial as the numbers themselves.

Despite this, K-defense tends to overlook safety issues, attributing them to the inherently dangerous environment of weapon system manufacturing. Following an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon facility last month that resulted in seven casualties, the facility manager stated, "Generally, the danger of explosives diminishes when they come into contact with water, so I did not consider it a significant risk due to the washing process with water." Such comments reflect a complacent safety mindset within K-defense, despite the fact that even minor mistakes in handling ammunition, explosives, and heavy equipment can lead to major accidents.

Supported by government initiatives, K-defense's safety awareness remains stuck in the past. A review of industrial accident statistics over the past decade reveals a troubling pattern. From 2017 to the first quarter of this year, over 400 industrial accidents occurred at five major domestic defense companies, with annual incidents showing little sign of decline. Since 2018, the annual number of industrial accidents has consistently hovered around 50.

However, the focus should not solely be on the numbers but rather on the warning signals they convey. This indicates that risks in the workplace are not being sufficiently controlled. If accidents are concentrated in specific companies and facilities, it is more likely a sign of gaps in management rather than mere coincidence.

In any industry, safety must be viewed as a competitive advantage for long-term success. Foreign governments, the buyers in the defense market, consider not only weapon performance, price, and delivery times but also stable production capabilities, quality control systems, and accident response capabilities as essential components of trust. If production facilities are unstable, it inevitably affects delivery schedules, quality, and corporate reputation.

K-defense is currently facing greater opportunities in the global market. To sustain these opportunities, merely achieving immediate order results is insufficient. A proactive system that identifies and addresses potential causes of accidents before they occur must be established.

Concrete actions are necessary to achieve this. Facilities with frequent accidents should be managed separately, and high-risk processes should be monitored more closely. The automation, unmanned operation, and remote control of hazardous tasks should be actively pursued. For processes with high risks of explosions or fires, the introduction of equipment that minimizes direct human exposure should be expedited.

The order backlog exceeding 100 trillion won represents both an achievement and a responsibility for K-defense. This success should not be limited to expanding production. Investments to reduce workplace risks must match the increased workload. Growth can be demonstrated through results, but trust is built on fundamentals. For K-defense to advance to the next stage, it must once again focus on these fundamentals.