Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon: No Safe Workplaces in Arms Manufacturing

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon inspects the Hanwha Aerospace accident site in Daejeon on June 1. [Photo=Ministry of Employment and Labor]

Kim Young-hoon, the Minister of Employment and Labor, stated on June 2 that "there are no less dangerous workplaces in arms manufacturing" in response to the recent explosion at Hanwha Aerospace in Daejeon. He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to fulfill the duty to protect the living.
In a post on his social media, Minister Kim recalled a saying from his days as a train engineer: "Even a slight mistake can be fatal." He noted that a joint on-site investigation would begin shortly.
According to the Labor Ministry, a joint investigation involving the ministry, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and the National Forensic Service commenced at 10 a.m. on the same day. During a second meeting of the Central Industrial Accident Response Headquarters, Kim directed that the investigation be conducted safely and that the causes of the accident be thoroughly identified. He also instructed that necessary follow-up measures for accident prevention be implemented based on the findings.
As this incident falls under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the minister ordered a swift and strict investigation into violations of relevant laws, including the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accident Punishment Act, with severe penalties for any infractions.
Additionally, he called for comprehensive emergency safety inspections across booming sectors, such as semiconductor and defense manufacturing. Investigations into Hanwha Aerospace revealed a significant increase in contract volumes recently. This follows a fluorine leak incident at SK Hynix the previous day, which resulted in multiple injuries.
Minister Kim plans to hold a national meeting with agency heads on June 4 to encourage local authorities to actively guide and inspect workplaces to enhance safety awareness.
Earlier, at 10:59 a.m. on June 1, a fire caused by an explosion occurred in the cleaning room of the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon plant, resulting in five fatalities, one serious injury, and one minor injury.
This facility had previously experienced explosion incidents in 2018 and 2019, which resulted in the deaths of five and three individuals, respectively. It was revealed that safety management was inadequate at that time, leading to convictions for responsible parties on charges of negligent homicide.

* This article has been translated by AI.