Hanwha blast leaves one family without a father, another without a son while relatives still work at plant
Published: 03 Jun. 2026, 16:28
Updated: 03 Jun. 2026, 17:30
![Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il leaves a funeral hall at a hospital in Yuseong District, Daejeon, on the morning of June 3 after meeting with the families of those killed in the explosion at the company's Daejeon plant, the day their identification was completed. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/06/03/36edb669-75c7-4629-a9d4-a506f08dddf0.jpg)
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il leaves a funeral hall at a hospital in Yuseong District, Daejeon, on the morning of June 3 after meeting with the families of those killed in the explosion at the company's Daejeon plant, the day their identification was completed. [YONHAP]
Two of the five workers killed in Monday’s explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant had a family member working at the same location. One family lost a father, the other a son — in both cases, the surviving relative still works at the site.
One was an employee in his 50s whose son also works there. The other was a nonregular worker in his 20s, killed on his 96th day with the company, whose father works there, according to police, fire authorities and the Yuseong District Office in Daejeon. The plant produces rocket propellant and was the site of fatal explosions in both 2018 and 2019.
The families received the bodies Wednesday, placed them at Yuseong Sun Hospital and were assigned mourning rooms. Condolence banners and funeral supplies bearing the name of Hanwha Aerospace were delivered to each room.
Most of the families later returned to lodgings arranged in Yuseong District after talks with the company over funeral arrangements fell apart.
The bereaved families poured out their anger at Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il when he visited the funeral hall around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday.
"[The company] had no real idea what they were doing, perhaps out of inertia or complacency. Didn't they throw them into hellfire?" one family member said.
![Remains of the Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon after an explosion occurred on June 1, killing five workers. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/06/03/ebe35a54-bc60-41da-a986-5d351ccd4a3f.jpg)
Remains of the Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon after an explosion occurred on June 1, killing five workers. [YONHAP]
"Even with the accidents in 2018 and 2019, the settlements were delayed. To put it harshly, haven't you been through this before?" the family member said, referring to earlier deaths at the company. "How are the measures to prevent another accident any different from last time? Show us the company's position and a clear plan."
"Rather than have the families set conditions, explain the plan the company already has in mind," another family member said. "If it's a reasonable proposal, we'll consider it, so make us an offer first."
Families who had waited at the mourning rooms since early morning hours raised their voices during the talks, then broke down in tears as if drained.
"I am truly sorry. We will do everything we can to handle the aftermath of the accident," Son said. "We will do our best to ease the families' grief even a little."
![Investigators are seen on June 2 during their probe to identify the cause of explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant, which happened a day earlier. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/06/03/51f7983b-a589-419d-8927-1850de160e2b.jpg)
Investigators are seen on June 2 during their probe to identify the cause of explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant, which happened a day earlier. [NEWS1]
One family chose to move ahead. Relatives of one victim said they had scheduled a cremation for 2:30 p.m. Thursday so the worker could be laid to rest, as that day would mark more than three days since the accident. The family said it would hold a wake in its hometown to receive mourners.
The Yuseong District disaster response headquarters said it had named a representative for the families and was working to set up a joint memorial altar, though a site had not been chosen.
The district formed dedicated teams, each led by a section-chief-level official, to support each victim's family and assigned civil servants to them. At the Yuseong Sun Hospital funeral hall, workers from the Korean Red Cross Daejeon-Sejong chapter's disaster mental health recovery support center were on standby to offer psychological support.
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 SON SUNG-BAE, KWAK JOO-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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