At around 11 a.m. on the 1st, an incident suspected to be an explosion occurred at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon site in Oesam-dong, Yuseong District, Daejeon, resulting in seven casualties.

According to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters, a series of reports were received at 119 saying “An explosion was heard” and “A large amount of black smoke is billowing,” among others.

At around 11:18 a.m., the fire authorities issued Response Level 1 and deployed personnel and equipment to extinguish the fire and conduct a search for people.

An official at the Daejeon Fire Headquarters said, “So far, five people have died and two have sustained serious to moderate injuries, and we are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.”

There have been two previous explosion accidents at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon plant. In May 2018, an explosion killed two people, and three others later died while receiving hospital treatment for severe burns. In February 2019, an explosion and fire occurred in the propellant casting room of Building 70 at the Daejeon plant, killing three workers.