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Body found at North Chungcheong factory fire site identified as Nepali worker

Published: 10 Feb. 2026, 19:32

Black smoke and flames are seen billowing from a fire that broke out at a household goods manufacturing factory in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong, on Jan. 30. [NEWS1]

A body found at the site of a factory fire in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong, has been identified as a missing worker from Nepal, according to police on Tuesday.

DNA analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service confirmed that the body found in one of the buildings of a household goods manufacturing factory in Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong County, matched that of a Nepali national who had been reported missing, the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency said on Tuesday.

The worker, who was employed by a subcontractor, went missing after a fire broke out at the factory on Jan. 30.

At the time, the fire destroyed three production buildings at the factory, which cover about 24,170 square meters (260,000 square feet), and was extinguished after about 21 hours.

The whereabouts of another missing worker, a Kazakh national, is yet to be confirmed.

The National Forensic Service and fire authorities on Feb. 3 inspect the site of a fire that broke out at a household goods manufacturing factory in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong, on Jan. 30. [YONHAP]

Materials resembling bone were found last Wednesday near the building where the Nepali worker's body was found, but forensic examination found that they were not human remains.

Fire authorities have continued search operations for the remaining missing worker for the 12th consecutive day, but no significant progress has been made.

With the identity of the body confirmed as one of the two missing foreign workers, police said they will review compliance with safety regulations and examine whether the case falls under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]