English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

After a diver working on a barge preparing for a solid-propellant space launch vehicle test launch died in waters off Jeju, local civic groups called for a halt to offshore launches, citing repeated explosions at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon facility. Five months earlier, five people had died at the facility, and a subsequent special inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor identified 473 violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

According to the Seogwipo Coast Guard Station and the Ministry of National Defense on the 11th, a diver in his 50s lost consciousness at around 4:30 p.m. the previous day while working underwater to raise a chain from a space launch vehicle barge approximately 5 km west of Marado Island. He was transported to Gangjeong Port while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation but died at a hospital at around 5:45 p.m.

The barge had been deployed in preparation for a solid-propellant space launch vehicle test launch overseen by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). The Coast Guard is questioning personnel associated with the barge to determine whether safety measures were in place during the operation. The Ministry of National Defense said it ‘takes the accident very seriously’ and would inspect safety conditions across offshore operations.

In a statement on the 11th, nine Jeju-based groups, including the Gangjeong Village Residents’ Association Against the Naval Base, said, ‘We cannot overlook the fact that workers have repeatedly lost their lives at sites handling solid propellants and launch vehicles.’ The groups pointed out that the accidents at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon facility in 2018, 2019 and this year all occurred during solid-propellant processing and claimed a total of 13 lives.

The groups also criticized Hanwha, saying, ‘On June 30, less than a month after the accident, Hanwha nevertheless attempted to push ahead with an offshore launch near Gangjeong Port in Jeju.’ At the time, the Ministry of National Defense halted the fourth test launch shortly before liftoff because of a functional abnormality. The groups noted that the cause of the latest diver’s death and who bears responsibility have yet to be established, calling for a full investigation as the first priority.

■ 473 Violations Identified… Business Division CEO Booked as Suspect Steps Down Three Months Later

On June 1, an explosion and fire occurred in a cleaning room at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon facility while workers were washing tools used to manufacture rocket propellants, killing five people and injuring two. A subsequent special inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor identified 473 violations, with 189 cases referred for judicial proceedings and administrative fines totaling approximately 505,100,000 won imposed for the remaining 284 cases. The same facility had previously been cited for 486 violations in a 2018 inspection and 82 in a 2019 inspection.

On June 8, the Daejeon Regional Employment and Labor Office booked Sohn Jae-il, then CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, on suspicion of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Former CEO Sohn stepped down as CEO on September 18, and the company appointed inside director Lee Boohwan at an extraordinary general meeting the same day, making him a new co-representative CEO.

Hanwha Aerospace’s other co-representative CEO is Kim Dong-kwan, Vice Chairman and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace. The company’s largest shareholder is Hanwha Corporation, which holds a 32.18% stake. Hanwha Corporation’s largest shareholder is Hanwha Energy, which holds a 23.55% stake and is itself 50% owned by Vice Chairman Kim. Kim also directly holds a 10.38% stake in Hanwha Corporation and received 1,162,000,000 won in remuneration from Hanwha Aerospace in the first half of this year.

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn received 2,520,000,000 won in remuneration from Hanwha Aerospace in the first half of the year as an unregistered chairman who does not sit on the board of directors. His annual remuneration last year was 5,040,000,000 won. Unregistered executives are not subject to Articles 399 and 401 of the Commercial Act, which establish directors’ liability for damages to the company and third parties.

Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace issued statements of apology immediately after the Daejeon accident, pledging to thoroughly investigate its cause and prevent a recurrence. The Jeju groups called for those responsible for the diver’s death to be punished, offshore launches to be halted, and Jeju’s space industry plans linked to offshore launches to be withdrawn.