Hanwha Aerospace has suspended production at its Daejeon rocket-propellant facility after an explosion and fire on 1 June 2026 killed five workers and injured two others on a propellant manufacturing line. The accident, which occurred in late morning, triggered a blaze that was brought under control by firefighting units after multiple emergency calls reporting a loud blast and smoke from the site.
Initial company briefings indicate the explosion appears to have occurred while water was being used to clean explosive material from tools used in rocket propellant production. Industrial safety officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor have ordered operations at the facility to be halted and have opened an inspection and investigation into the technical and procedural causes of the blast.
Hanwha Aerospace, a key South Korean supplier of propulsion and defense systems, has issued a public apology and pledged a full internal investigation. The incident underscores recurring safety concerns at Hanwha explosives-related sites following earlier fatal explosions in 2018 and 2019.