133 Major Accidents in Industrial Complexes Nationwide Over Past 5 Years... 110 Deaths

Kim Won: “Lax Safety Management... Urgent Need for Inter-Agency Collaboration System”

Won Kim, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

In the past five years, major accidents in industrial complexes nationwide have resulted in 110 deaths and property damage amounting to 145.3 billion won.

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Won Kim of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Mokpo, South Jeolla Province) on September 29, a total of 133 major accidents occurred between 2020 and June of this year in 67 industrial complexes managed by the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation.

By year, there were 26 accidents in 2020, 25 in 2021, 26 in 2022, 23 in 2023, 24 in 2024, and 9 in the first half of this year, showing that more than 20 accidents have occurred each year without interruption. In particular, 2022 saw a concentration of damage with 22 deaths, 46 injuries, and property loss totaling 93 billion won.

By type of accident, industrial accidents accounted for 75 cases (56.3%), followed by fires with 31 cases (23.3%), explosions with 15 cases (11.3%), and hazardous chemical leaks with 12 cases (9%).

By industrial complex, accidents were concentrated in large-scale manufacturing and chemical complexes such as Ulsan Mipo (20 cases), Changwon (15 cases), Yeosu and Onsan (13 cases each), Pohang (12 cases), and Gwangyang (10 cases). Repeated casualties have occurred due to incidents such as the explosion at a chemical company in the Yeosu complex (2021), a toxic gas leak in the Gumi complex (2022), and the sulfuric acid storage facility explosion in the Ulsan complex (2024).

Assemblyman Kim stated, "The repeated major accidents within industrial complexes are not just a corporate issue but are the result of structural failures in safety management." He emphasized the need to introduce a digital-based precision inspection system in high-risk areas and to ensure the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration systems.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.