Son Jae-il (center), CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, bows his head at the site of an explosion at the company’s Daejeon plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the 1st.
Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn has personally ordered the entire group to mobilize all its resources to handle the aftermath of an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s (012450) Daejeon plant that left seven people dead or injured.
Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace stated this in a second joint statement released Saturday afternoon. It marked the second apology issued to bereaved families and the public within half a day of the morning accident. The move came after political circles, civic groups, and labor organizations issued successive statements of condemnation, while prosecutors, police, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor each formed dedicated investigation teams.
According to Hanwha, Chairman Kim said, “I cannot contain my heartbreak at the news that employees who were doing their best at work have died and been injured.” He added, “I extend my deep condolences and words of comfort to the bereaved families.” He further instructed the company to “provide the utmost respect to the deceased employees and carry out support for bereaved families and treatment for the injured with sincerity and speed.” He also ordered the formation of a group-level special response task force (TF) led by Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Yeo Seung-joo.
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il, who was dispatched to the site immediately after receiving news of the accident Saturday morning, has also set up a response headquarters and is working on recovery efforts in cooperation with relevant authorities including fire and police agencies. “I feel a heavy sense of responsibility for this accident,” Son said. “I will provide all necessary support alongside the bereaved families and take full responsibility for the treatment and recovery of injured employees until the end.”
Hanwha said it will transparently disclose the specific circumstances of the accident as soon as they are confirmed. At present, the explosion is presumed to have occurred during the process of cleaning a launch vehicle propellant (explosive). However, the exact cause is expected to be determined through investigations by relevant agencies once access to the accident site is secured.
“We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident to ensure that such a tragic incident never happens again,” Hanwha said. “We will conduct a full review of safety management measures across the entire group and devote all resources to creating a safe workplace.”
Earlier, an explosion occurred at 10:59 a.m. Saturday at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, killing five people and injuring two.