An explosion occurred at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon facility, marking the third such incident in seven years. The explosion resulted in a total of seven casualties, prompting Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace to commit to thorough recovery efforts. In an official statement, the company expressed condolences and vowed to investigate the cause to prevent future incidents.
According to fire authorities, the explosion took place at 10:59 a.m. on June 1, resulting in five fatalities and two injuries.
The Daejeon facility is a key research and development site for Hanwha Aerospace, focusing on large propulsion systems, propellant mixing and charging, and tactical ground-to-ground weapon systems.
The incident reportedly occurred during a cleaning operation involving explosive residue on propellant equipment in the facility's cleaning area.
Hanwha Aerospace has experienced two previous explosions: one in 2018 that killed two workers and injured three others, who later died from their injuries, and another in 2019 that resulted in the deaths of three employees in a different section of the facility.
The recurrence of such incidents has raised concerns about safety inspections and management practices at the defense contractor's facilities.
In response to the explosion, Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace pledged to prioritize recovery efforts. A crisis meeting was held immediately at the company's headquarters in Seoul, and CEO Son Jae-il traveled to the site shortly after. A command center has been established at the scene, where the company is collaborating with fire and police authorities to manage the situation. Key executives from the group also rushed to the site to assess the situation.
In their statement, Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace expressed deep sorrow over the loss of five valued employees, offering heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. They also apologized to the public, promising to thoroughly investigate the cause of the explosion to prevent such tragic incidents from happening again.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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