![The Hanwha Aerospace facility in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, where an explosion on June 1 killed five workers and injured two others. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/31/rcv.YNA.20260601.PYH2026060117180001300_P1.jpg)
Police investigating the Hanwha Aerospace explosion that left seven people dead or injured have booked three more company employees in the safety management chain of command.
The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency's wide-area crime investigation unit said Friday it had booked three Hanwha Aerospace employees, including a person identified only as "A," on charges of negligent homicide and injury. The total number of employees booked in connection with the accident now stands at four, including Ga Jae-ung, head of the Daejeon plant, who was booked earlier.
The three are suspected of neglecting their safety oversight duties in connection with the June 1 explosion at the cleaning room of Building 56 at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Oesamdong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, which killed five workers and injured two others.
According to police, the three held positions in the safety management chain of command overseeing the cleaning operations.
Police had earlier secured testimony stating that "it appears the first explosion occurred in the cleaning machine — workers were cleaning a tank inside the machine at the time of the blast."
The statement suggested the explosion occurred while workers were cleaning a tank inside the machine used to temporarily store sludge, including gunpowder residue that accumulates during the cleaning process. Police have asked the National Forensic Service to examine the cleaning machine and cleaning tools to determine the exact cause of the accident.
The National Forensic Service's findings are expected as early as October.
Police are also looking into whether the amount of hazardous materials stored at the facility was within permissible limits.
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
