A fire broke out at the SK Hynix Cheongju plant, marking a repeat incident just over ten days after a similar occurrence. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of safety management systems at the facility.
According to industry sources, the fire ignited at 9:55 a.m. on the second floor of the gas room in the M15X factory at the Cheongju Campus. The blaze was extinguished within approximately ten minutes after the sprinkler system activated.
The fire reportedly started when six workers were mixing fluorine and nitrogen in a cabinet within the gas room. One worker sustained a first-degree burn on the ankle.
In response to the incident, SK Hynix temporarily evacuated around 4,000 employees from the campus due to potential gas leak concerns. Thirteen individuals who reported dizziness were transported to the company's on-site hospital, but all were confirmed to be in stable condition, except for the worker with burns.
Fire department assessments indicated that there was no actual gas leak. The company also confirmed that production operations were not disrupted.
The recurrence of incidents in the same process is troubling. On June 1, a fire occurred in the gas room connecting the M15X and M15 factories, resulting in a minor fluorine leak. That incident prompted the evacuation of over 3,600 employees, and several workers required medical attention due to the leak.
Following the earlier incident, SK Hynix initiated a week-long "company-wide safety system overhaul" starting June 4. However, the new fire has necessitated a thorough investigation into the causes and a reassessment of on-site operational procedures.
A representative from SK Hynix stated, "Given that the incident occurred during the same process, we will conduct a thorough investigation to prevent recurrence, and we assure that production operations remain unaffected."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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