Five Dead, Two Injured in Explosion at Hanwha Aerospace Plant in Daejeon
Five workers died and two others were injured in a blast at the Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon on June 1, 2026. Authorities have not yet identified the victims, and one of the injured remains in critical condition.
YonhapAn explosion at a Hanwha Aerospace plant in Daejeon killed five people and injured two others on June 1, 2026. Smoke billowed from the facility that morning. The plant manufactures large propulsion engines, tactical surface-to-surface missile systems, large-sized propellants, and surface-to-surface weapons systems.
The Daejeon site is a government-designated security facility. Defense Acquisition Program Administration officials arrived after the blast to assess damage. An electric power vehicle entered the facility following the explosion.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said his ministry would spare no effort to provide technical assistance in determining the cause. "We will spare no technical assistance," Ahn wrote on X, adding that the ministry would work alongside DAPA to determine what triggered the blast. Ahn offered condolences to the victims' families and wished the injured a swift recovery.
One of the two injured people was in critical condition. Authorities have not yet identified the dead people.
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- koreatimes.co.kr reported: The explosion took place in a laboratory where workers were conducting cleaning operations involving explosive materials.
- koreatimes.co.kr reported: The explosion occurred at 10:59 a.m.
- japantimes.co.jp reported: The explosion appeared to have occurred while water was being used to clean explosive material from tools making rocket propellant.
- koreatimes.co.kr reported: This was the third deadly explosion at the same Daejeon plant, following incidents in May 2018 and February 2019.
- japantimes.co.jp reported: The five deceased included two temporary workers in their 20s; all five were employed by Hanwha.
- koreatimes.co.kr reported: One injured worker suffered severe burns and remained hospitalized; the other sustained minor injuries and was discharged.
- koreatimes.co.kr reported: A fire broke out following the explosion and was fully extinguished at 1:07 p.m.
- Yonhap reported: Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back stated that his ministry would provide technical assistance with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to determine the cause and develop safety measures.
- japantimes.co.jp reported: Hanwha CEO Son Jae-il pledged full cooperation with authorities to determine the cause.
- japantimes.co.jp reported: Shares in Hanwha Aerospace fell 2.8% and shares in Hanwha Corp. fell 3.4% following the incident.
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