The scene of the fire at POSCO 3 Finex Plant. Photo by Yonhap News

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At 11:18 p.m. on the 24th, a fire broke out at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, causing black smoke to rise. Photo by Yonhap News

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Fires have been repeatedly breaking out at the POSCO Pohang Steelworks. Just two weeks after the last fire on the 10th, another fire occurred at the same plant, raising concerns over POSCO's safety management responsibilities.

According to fire authorities on the 25th, a fire broke out at 11:18 p.m. the previous day at the 3rd FINEX plant of POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. The fire was completely extinguished in two hours, by 1:13 a.m. the following day, and no casualties have been reported so far. This plant also experienced an explosion and fire on the 10th, injuring one employee. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The 3rd FINEX plant, where the fire broke out, is a facility that produces molten iron, similar to a blast furnace. This plant produces molten iron by using powdered iron ore and coking coal directly, without a separate raw material processing stage. Although an inspection was conducted after the first fire, the results have not yet been released, so the exact cause remains unknown. However, police and fire authorities currently suspect that the accident occurred due to the malfunction of the oxygen injection tuyere (a passage for blowing hot air) located below the melting furnace (a kiln that melts metal into liquid state) at the 3rd FINEX plant, which caused gas to expand.

At around 4:20 a.m. on the 10th, the fire department received a report of a large fire at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk. A resident stated, "There were about three explosions." Yonhap News

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At around 4:20 a.m. on the 10th, a report of a large fire was received at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk, and the fire department is working to extinguish it. Photo by Yonhap News

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At around 4:20 a.m. on the 10th, a fire broke out at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk. Fire authorities managed to control the large flames while a firefighter climbed a high ladder truck to inspect the scene. Photo by Yonhap News

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Since the first FINEX plant began operation in 2009, there have been four fire or explosion accidents, including this latest incident. Steelworks, which consume massive amounts of energy, are constantly exposed to safety risks. However, experts say it is unusual for two fires to occur in just one month at the newest, third plant.

Gong Hasung, a professor in the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosuk University, said, "Steelworks use a lot of gases such as high-pressure oxygen to aid combustion in blast furnaces and melting furnaces, and problems such as valve breakage or malfunction in gas pipes are major causes of fires," adding, "We also cannot rule out the possibility that a fire was caused by workers' mistakes, such as failure to follow safety regulations."

There are also voices questioning whether POSCO's follow-up measures in handling this accident were excessive. Some suggest that the company rushed the restoration work to resume operations quickly. Immediately after the first fire on the 10th, POSCO announced, "Restoration will take about a week," and "If we flexibly respond by increasing blast furnace operation, there will be no disruption to the overall production schedule." In reality, the restoration took about nine days. Although both the first and second fires were extinguished in about two hours, criticism has arisen that the restoration was rushed, given the magnitude of the flames that engulfed even the top of the plant.

On the 12th, a fire investigator from Pohang Nambu Fire Station entered through Gate 1 of POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Jecheol-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

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POSCO experienced damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor in 2022 and a fire at the No. 2 blast furnace last year. At the time, not only was there property damage, but production was also disrupted, directly affecting performance. There is criticism that POSCO focused more on resuming operations than on complete restoration. Professor Gong said, "After the first fire, they should have thoroughly analyzed the cause and taken measures to prevent recurrence, but I suspect they rushed to restore the plant with only temporary solutions."