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Authorities identify 13 of 14 victims from Daejeon factory fire as investigation continues

Published: 23 Mar. 2026, 19:19 Updated: 23 Mar. 2026, 19:25

Authorities conduct a joint inspection in connection with the Anjun Industrial fire in Daejeon on March 23. [NEWS1]

DAEJEON — Authorities have identified 13 of the 14 victims of Friday’s factory fire at Anjun Industrial in Daejeon and plan to return most of their remains to their families on Monday.

Police were due to hand over 12 bodies later in the day, while one identified victim remains under additional review and one victim has yet to be identified, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday.

Officials have not yet taken DNA from the remaining unidentified body and are conducting additional forensics tests.

Fire authorities also discovered additional remains during a detailed search, believed to belong to one of the victims. Forensic investigators are collecting the remains and will request analysis from the National Forensic Service once recovery is complete.

“We will promptly return the bodies of the two victims, including the one whose DNA results are still pending, as well as the newly discovered remains, once DNA testing is completed,” a police official said.

Police and the Daejeon Regional Employment and Labor Administration also carried out search and seizure operations on Monday at Anjun Industrial's headquarters and factory as well as the CEO’s residence.
Police secured surveillance footage and fire safety inspection records from Anjun Industrial’s headquarters and seized additional documents, including factory blueprints and records detailing construction work processes by floor.

Authorities also obtained mobile phones belonging to 10 company officials, including executives. The search also covered the company’s second plant, where workers moved and stored 101 kilograms (222 pounds) of sodium from the headquarters immediately after the fire. About 170 employees work at the headquarters and the affected plant, while around 100 work at the second plant in Daehwa-dong.

Authorities conduct a joint inspection in connection with the Anjun Industrial fire in Daejeon on March 23. [NEWS1]

Investigators also obtained testimony from an employee who said, “I saw sparks coming from a ceiling duct near Line 4 on the first floor of the factory.”

Police plan to examine that area, but access may be difficult because much of the factory has collapsed.

Two representatives of the bereaved families of the 14 victims attended the joint inspection on Monday. They asked authorities to take photos at the factory, review the factory layout and check evacuation facilities inside the building.

Investigators also plan to enter a break room located between the second and third floors, where nine workers were found dead.

The space, which includes a locker room and rest area, appears to have been created in the second half of 2015, about a year after the building’s expansion in 2014, without being reported to the Daedeok District Office or the Daedeok Fire Station.

Police plan to question Anjun Industrial representatives and contractors involved in building the space to determine whether they knew about the unauthorized expansion and whether management ordered it. Authorities also plan to summon officials from the Daedeok District Office and the Daedeok Fire Station, which handle permits and inspections.

Sohn Ju-hwan, CEO of Anjun Industrial, visited a memorial altar at Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall on Monday.

Sohn Ju-hwan, CEO of Anjun Industrial, left, and company employees hold a moment of silence at a joint memorial altar for victims of the factory fire, set up on the first floor of Daejeon Metropolitan City Hall, on March 22. [NEWS1]

“I don’t know. I’m not sure,” Sohn said when asked whether the illegal construction of the break room contributed to the casualties. “If an audit finds the construction was illegal, we will take responsibility, but we need to wait for the investigation. I feel deeply sorry to our employees.”

Police are also investigating claims of malfunctioning fire alarms raised by some workers and the labor union after the fire.

“In addition to malfunctioning alarms, small fires occurred frequently, and we asked the company to take action, but nothing improved,” the union said.

Some bereaved family members struggled to contain their grief at the joint altar on Monday. One woman wearing a family badge stood for a long time.

“Why are you there? What am I supposed to do without you? You must have been so scared,” the mother of a victim, surnamed Baek said, as she wept.

Another elderly mother hugged the memorial tablet and collapsed, saying, “My son, how could this happen? What am I supposed to do? Who would have thought you would leave like this.”

Some citizens also voiced concerns about safety management at the site.

“There were flammable materials inside, and even the construction materials seem risky,” a person surnamed Min said on Monday at the memorial altar. “I think safety was not managed properly. Authorities should do more than just talk about safety and work to prevent accidents.”

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 SPECIAL REPORTING TEAM [[email protected]]