Daejeon: Hanwha Aerospace Co., a defense affiliate of Hanwha Group, announced it will suspend operations at all its production facilities to conduct special safety inspections after a deadly explosion at its Daejeon facility.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the company will halt operations at its nine business sites nationwide for two days starting Thursday. This marks the first companywide production shutdown since its establishment in 2023. Some essential production processes will be exempt from the suspension.

The explosion at the facility, located about 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on Monday resulted in the deaths of five people and injured two others. Police have initiated a joint investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The company emphasized that ensuring a safe working environment is a higher priority than avoiding temporary production disruptions due to the suspension of operations. During the shutdown, all business sites will carry out comprehensive inspections of potential fire and explosion hazards, major industrial accident risks, unsafe conditions and facilities, risk assessment procedures, and past accident cases.

The Daejeon plant is a significant defense facility and is designated as a secret defense factory. It manufactures various weapons systems, including the Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM).

The affected production lines generated 1.32 trillion won (US$870 million) in revenue last year, accounting for 4.94 percent of Hanwha Aerospace's total revenue of 26.7 trillion won, according to the company.