Firefighters spray water to extinguish a fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea, on Friday. A witness told Yonhap they heard an explosion. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung told officials to mobilize all available resources — including personnel and equipment — for rescue operations, his office said. In September last year, South Korea sentenced the CEO of battery maker Aricell to 15 years in prison over one of the country’s worst industrial fires. The 2024 blaze at the lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, killed 22 people, most of them Chinese nationals.

Source: Taipei Times March 21, 2026 18:32 UTC