Three employees of Hyundai Motor died tragically during a car testing procedure at the company’s Ulsan facility on Tuesday, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
The incident, which involved two researchers, occurred in a testing chamber within the plant, Hyundai’s largest production site and a pivotal location for its electric vehicle initiatives.
“We are trying to determine the cause of the incident,” the representative said, without giving any further details.
Authorities, including local police and the South Korean labour ministry, have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Initial reports indicate that the workers suffocated while conducting the tests, although further details have yet to be confirmed. As of now, Hyundai has not issued an official statement regarding the tragedy.
The Ulsan plant plays a critical role in Hyundai’s operations, particularly as the company accelerates its transition to electric vehicles, with a dedicated EV production facility currently under construction since late last year.
Hyundai’s Ulsan facility is located 370 kilometers (229 miles) South-East of Seoul, and the company has referred to its assembly line as the “world’s largest single automobile plant,” complete with an export shipping dock.
Along with its affiliate Kia, Hyundai is the world’s third-largest automaker, recording more than 4.2 million units in global sales in 2023.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the incident occurred during a vehicle performance test inside a chamber.
Yonhap suspected that unventilated exhaust gases inside the chamber might have been responsible for the fatal accident.
“The three, two Hyundai researchers and the other affiliated with a subcontractor were found collapsed at a test chamber of the plant where they were conducting a car performance test.
“They were taken to nearby hospitals but were pronounced dead,” it added.
“The victims were presumed to have been suffocated due to toxic gas in the enclosed space, and a police investigation is underway to find the exact cause of the accident.”
One worker died at the same Hyundai Motor factory in Ulsan in 2023 after his head was caught in a heat treatment machine during an inspection, local media reported at the time.
Hyundai was forced to issue an apology and said they would “do our best to come up with follow-up measures” to prevent such incidents.
Hyundai and Kia together account for around 80 percent of all new vehicle sales in the South Korean domestic market, according to 2023 data.
