Post circulating on social media draws widespread condemnation

The scene of devastation at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon factory in Yuseong-gu, where an explosion on June 1 killed five workers. The blast occurred at 10:59 a.m. that day, leaving one person in critical condition with full-body burns and another with minor injuries. [Yonhap]
The scene of devastation at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon factory in Yuseong-gu, where an explosion on June 1 killed five workers. The blast occurred at 10:59 a.m. that day, leaving one person in critical condition with full-body burns and another with minor injuries. [Yonhap]

A Hanwha Aerospace shareholder has drawn fierce public backlash after demanding that the families of workers killed in a deadly factory explosion compensate investors for the resulting drop in the company's share price.

A screenshot of the post, titled "The bereaved families should pay compensation," has been circulating Thursday on social media platforms including Threads. It originated in the Hanwha Aerospace stock discussion board on the Toss Securities trading platform.

The shareholder, identified only as A, wrote: "Don't think everything ends just because you blew up the factory and fled to the afterlife. All Hanwha Aerospace shareholders will never accept this loss." The post was accompanied by a display showing the company's share price down 3 percent on the day at 1,137,000 won (about $750).

The share price had stood at 1,173,000 won before the accident on May 29, then fell steadily to close at 1,070,000 won on June 2. As of 10:28 a.m. Thursday, it was trading at 1,041,000 won, down 2.71 percent from the previous session.

Online commenters responded with a torrent of criticism. "How can a person say something like that," one wrote. "People who fail a basic decency test shouldn't be allowed to buy shares," said another. Others added: "Why are you taking out your anger on the bereaved families just because you bought a bad stock?" and "Blaming a dead worker — how can anyone do that?"

However, some shareholders expressed dismay at the unexpected setback in more measured terms. "Please, starting with the big conglomerates, build workplaces where workers don't die — that's what would make investors proud to invest," one wrote. Another said: "I hope this incident prompts not only Hanwha but all companies handling hazardous materials to pay closer attention to safety."

The explosion occurred at 10:59 a.m. on June 1 at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Oesamdong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, killing five workers and leaving one in critical condition with full-body burns and another with minor injuries.


jshan@heraldcorp.com