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Daejeon factory held no fire drills before deadly blaze, employees say

Published: 30 Mar. 2026, 18:20 Updated: 30 Mar. 2026, 18:36

A factory inside Anjun Industrial's facilities in Daedeok District, Daejeon, is seen burnt down after a fire broke out at the building on March 20. [SHIN JIN-HO]

Employees at a Daejeon auto parts manufacturer where a deadly fire killed 14 and left 60 more injured on March 20 testified that fire drills existed only on paper and were never actually conducted.

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency’s investigation team questioned 48 people, including injured workers and bereaved families, following the fire at the Anjun Industrial factory, police said Monday.

“Fire drills had only been conducted on paper without real training,” injured workers said during the police questionings, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency.

Bereaved families also echoed the claim. The Anjun Industrial factory, which handled hazardous chemicals, conducted fire safety checks through documentation rather than through actual drills, the bereaved families said.

Anjun Industrial is classified as a Class 2 fire safety management site, which means it must conduct at least one fire drill and one employee training session each year.

However, fire authority inspections have found no violations, and company records showed that drills and training had been conducted.

Three employees who work at Anjun Industrial’s second plant in Daedeok District told the JoongAng Ilbo that fire drills were conducted every year.

Fire and forensic authorities carry out an on-site investigation at an Anjun Industrial factory in Daedeok District, Daejeon, on March 23. [SHIN JIN-HO]

“Repeated false alarms from fire detectors led workers to treat the situation as routine on the day of the fire,” police said during a briefing on the interim investigation on Thursday. “This delayed evacuation and increased casualties.”

With testimony now suggesting that proper drills may not have been conducted, police are considering additional charges against Anjun Industrial’s CEO and management. Police also plan to verify the status of fire drills with the company’s labor union.

“Large-scale casualties often occur when workers are not sufficiently familiar with evacuation procedures,” said Chae Jin, a professor of fire and disaster prevention studies at Mokwon University. “In a real fire, fear impairs judgment, so repeated training is essential to ensure quick evacuation.”

Workers also described poor working conditions, telling investigators that “the factory floor was so covered in oil that it was slippery.”

Police believe the oil contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Anjun Industrial CEO Sohn Ju-hwan, left, is seen visiting a joint memorial for those killed in the factory fire that broke out on March 20, at Daejeon City Hall on March 26. [YONHAP]

A workplace environment report submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Democratic Party Rep. Lee Yong-woo shows the company was flagged for eight consecutive years since 2018 for slippery floors that posed a risk of falls across most processes.

Experts believe the oil likely came from machining and cutting processes used at the plant.

“Inside the factory, everything from the ceiling to the floor was covered in oily substances,” said Song Yeong-nok, a representative of the bereaved families, during a press conference on Monday. “The fire was so intense that steel H-beams were bent.”

“Once we complete analysis of witness statements and seized materials, we plan to summon the company’s CEO and executives for questioning,” a police official said. “Given the loss of 14 lives, we will thoroughly investigate the cause and circumstances of this serious accident.”

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 SHIN JIN-HO [[email protected]]