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A blast at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant killed 5 people, prompting labor unions to demand a thorough investigation and a clear assignment of responsibility. In the wake of the recent collapse at the Seosomun overpass demolition site and this latest major industrial accident, critics are urging a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the government’s industrial safety policies.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) issued a statement on the 1st saying a full review is needed to determine whether industrial safety measures are working in practice. Police and fire officials say the explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong-gu, occurred on the morning of the 1st, killing 5 people and injuring 2. Authorities believe the blast happened during explosives-related cleaning work in Wash Room 56 and are investigating the exact cause.
The KCTU pointed to the Seosomun overpass demolition collapse and the recent explosion to argue that Korea’s industrial safety system may not be functioning properly. Although the government has announced repeated measures to reduce serious accidents, the union said changes at worksites have been slow, and it called for urgent reform of the safety management system to break the cycle of recurring major incidents.
The union also highlighted that similar explosions have occurred previously at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon facility. In May 2018, an explosion at the site killed 5 people, and in February 2019 an explosion and fire claimed 3 workers’ lives.
The KCTU said the repetition of similar accidents at the same facility necessitates a thorough review of the overall safety management and accident-prevention systems. It demanded that the company move beyond one-off inspections and perfunctory measures and adopt fundamental prevention strategies, including comprehensive process risk assessments, upgrades to safety equipment, and expanded worker participation.
It also urged the government to extend inspections beyond the accident site to cover high-risk facilities more broadly. The KCTU called on government and company officials to clearly determine the cause and assign responsibility, and to launch special inspections and effective prevention measures at facilities that handle explosives and chemicals as well as across high-risk construction sites.
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