Three workers lost their lives during a vehicle performance test at Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant, the South Korean automaker confirmed on Tuesday.
“Three research workers have died at an Ulsan assembly line,” a Hyundai representative told AFP. “We are trying to determine the cause of the incident,” the representative added, without providing further details.
The tragic accident occurred in a test chamber at the facility, which is located 370 kilometers (229 miles) southeast of Seoul. Hyundai has described the Ulsan plant as the “world’s largest single automobile plant,” boasting its own export shipping dock.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the victims—two Hyundai researchers and one subcontractor—were conducting a vehicle performance test in an enclosed chamber. Yonhap reported that they were found collapsed, likely due to exposure to toxic, unventilated exhaust gases.
“The three were taken to nearby hospitals but were pronounced dead,” Yonhap stated. The agency added that the victims were presumed to have suffocated, although an ongoing police investigation aims to determine the exact cause of the accident.
This is not the first fatal incident at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant. In 2023, a worker died after his head was caught in a heat treatment machine during an inspection, local media reported. At the time, Hyundai issued an apology and promised to take measures to prevent similar accidents.
Hyundai, together with its affiliate Kia, ranks as the world’s third-largest automaker, recording over 4.2 million global vehicle sales in 2023. The two brands also dominate the South Korean domestic market, accounting for approximately 80% of new vehicle sales last year.
