Ministry deploys dedicated probe team after Hanwha Aerospace blast kills 5

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has assembled a dedicated investigation team of more than 20 officials to determine the cause of a massive explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant, an accident that killed five workers and injured two others.

The ministry said it dispatched the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Bureau and the director of the Occupational Safety and Health Office to the scene immediately after learning of the blast. The explosion occurred Sunday morning at the washing room of the company's facility in Oesamdong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.

Employment Minister Kim Young-hoon also traveled to the site in person to oversee the response and ordered a thorough investigation into the cause and a full accounting of responsibility.

The ministry immediately formed a dedicated probe team of more than 20 people — drawn from the Daejeon Regional Employment and Labor Office's serious industrial accident investigation division and the serious industrial accident prevention center — and launched its investigation. Authorities plan to determine the precise cause of the explosion through on-site forensic work and interviews with those involved, and will focus on whether the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act were violated.

The explosion occurred at 10:59 a.m. Sunday in Building 56's washing room at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon factory. Police and fire officials said gunpowder-related cleaning work was believed to be underway at the time of the blast.

Emergency services received more than 30 calls in the immediate aftermath reporting a loud explosion and thick black smoke rising from the site. Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 11:17 a.m., deploying more than 100 personnel and about 30 pieces of equipment. The fire was brought under initial control roughly 50 minutes after it broke out and was fully extinguished at 1:07 p.m.

The blast destroyed a single-story building with a total floor area of 544 square meters.

Seven workers were on duty at the site when the accident occurred. All five fatalities were found inside the workroom where the explosion took place. The two survivors either evacuated on their own or were rescued; one is receiving treatment for full-body burns, while the other sustained minor injuries.

"The bodies are severely damaged, and we are working to identify them," fire authorities said.

The Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon plant is classified as a nationally protected facility that produces military propellants and explosives. Police and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and explosion using building blueprints and other materials secured from the site.

The ministry said its investigation will focus on whether the company properly fulfilled its obligation to implement safety measures when handling hazardous materials and whether it met its duty to secure occupational safety and health under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Authorities plan to work with prosecutors, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and other relevant bodies to establish the sequence of events and determine who bears responsibility.

The Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon factory has a history of deadly explosions. A blast in May 2018 killed two workers at the scene, and three others who had been seriously injured later died during treatment, bringing the total death toll from that incident to five. In February 2019, an explosion and fire in a propellant demolding room killed three more workers.

Including Sunday's accident, the facility has now recorded 13 explosion-related deaths over the past decade, making a comprehensive review of its overall safety management system all but unavoidable.