Funeral services held for 3 victims of Hanwha Aerospace plant explosion

DAEJEON — Funeral services were held on Sunday at Sun Medical Center in Daejeon for three victims who died in the explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant on Monday.
Bereaved family members, Hanwha Aerospace employees and executives, including CEO Son Jae-il, gathered to pay their final respects. Members of the company's labor union and fellow workers stood in line during the proceedings.
Family members who had remained composed throughout the funeral broke down in tears as the victims' portraits were carried to the hearses.

As the hearse doors closed, mourners cried out, "How can you leave us like this?" and "When will we ever see you again?"
One victim's funeral procession took place on Saturday and another victim's remains were transported to their family's hometown. With the ceremony on Sunday, all of the victims of the explosion have now been laid to rest.
A joint memorial altar established on the first floor of the Yuseong District Office on Friday continued to receive visitors over the weekend.
One resident who visited the memorial early in the morning left flowers and a message reading, "Rest in peace."

The memorial altar will remain open through June 25 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Separately, Hanwha Aerospace has set up memorial altars at 10 of its business sites across the country through June 25 to help employees pay their respects.
Authorities have accelerated their investigation into the explosion at the Daejeon facility.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Police established a dedicated investigative team and conducted search-and-seizure operations on Thursday. The investigators confiscated cell phones of six Hanwha Aerospace employees at the team leader level or higher, such as the head of the Daejeon plant.

 One of the confiscated phones belonged to Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son, secured by the Daejeon regional employment and labor office. Police and labor authorities are conducting digital forensic analyses of the devices.
Investigators also secured approximately 5,400 documents and electronic records, including safety-management materials and work orders.
Police have questioned two witnesses, a supervisor who worked at the cleaning facility where the explosion occurred and a contract worker who was off duty on the day of the accident, to ask them whether safety regulations had been properly followed.
"We secured materials not only from the Daejeon plant where the accident occurred, but also from the R & D [research and development] campus and company headquarters, where the organization responsible for safety management is located," a police official said. "We plan to summon relevant individuals for questioning once the analysis is complete."
The Daejeon regional employment and labor office has also formed a dedicated team of about 20 investigators to determine the cause of the accident.

"Based on evidence obtained through the search-and-seizure operations, we will thoroughly investigate why similar accidents have occurred repeatedly," a labor office official said. "If violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or the Serious Accidents Punishment Act are uncovered, those responsible will be held fully accountable."
The explosion occurred at approximately 10:59 a.m. on Monday at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong District, Daejeon.
The explosion left five dead and two injured. One survivor suffered severe burns across the body and another suffered minor injuries.
Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant has experienced fatal explosions before. Similar accidents in 2018 and 2019 killed five and three workers, respectively.

BY SHIN JIN-HO [[email protected]]