A fatal fire aboard the naval submarine ROKS Hong Beom-do at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard has led to a formal apology from the company and a closer look at how the accident was reported during the rescue operation.
The fire broke out on 9 April 2026 while the 214-class submarine, rated at 1,800 tonnes, was under maintenance at the yard. The incident occurred during cleaning work, and a subcontractor worker in her 60s became trapped inside the vessel.
On 10 April, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries revised its major accident disclosure and changed the worker’s status from injured to deceased. The update was made before a formal medical death determination had been issued. According to the source, the company based the revision on the judgment of the Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
The Ulsan branch had been told by rescuers at the site that the worker was presumed dead. Based on that assessment, it prepared a major accident report treating the case as a fatal accident and submitted it to the ministry headquarters. A ministry official said the report was prepared quickly so that an initial investigation could begin immediately on the assumption of a fatal industrial accident.
The worker was found dead on 11 April, about 33 hours after the fire.
On 12 April, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries released a joint statement under the names of Vice Chairman Lee Sang-kyun and President Geum Seok-ho. The company expressed condolences to the deceased and sympathy to the bereaved family, while acknowledging responsibility for the incident.
In the statement, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it would commit all available resources to handling the aftermath and supporting those affected. It also said it would cooperate fully with the authorities in determining the cause of the fire and would put measures in place to prevent a similar accident from happening again.
