Vietnamese embassy visits two injured in RoK factory explosion

Seoul (VNA) – Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Management Committee of Vietnamese Workers in the Republic of Korea, and the Employment Permit System (EPS) office on November 12 visited two Vietnamese labourers who had been seriously injured in the explosion of the fluoropolymer factory in Wonju city on November 10.

The two injured are Do Quoc Hung, born on December 10, 1987, and Vuong Dac Khai, born on July 21, 1997. After the explosion, they were moved to the Hallym University’s Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul to treat their scalds.

Meanwhile, two victims were also found dead following the incident. These were Chu Van Duong, born on May 30, 1987, and Tang Van Khanh, born on January 23, 1990, both from the northern province of Lang Son.

The four were all legal workers who had travelled to the RoK to work at the Foosung Precision Industry Company’s plant under an EPS contract.

Representatives from the embassy, labour management board, and the EPS office discussed measures to support the injured, as well as carried out procedures to bring the bodies of the deceased home.

Prevciously on November 10, right after hearing the explosion, the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, asked the labour management board in the RoK to provide a report on the incident and asked the Vietnamese embassy for guidance on working with the EPS office and competent authorities to help the labourers with their treatment.

Meanwhile, the board met with relevant sides to deal with procedures for the deceased workers.

The RoK’s Yonhap News Agency reported that the incident took place at around 9:45am (RoK time), sending out plumes of black smoke from the plant of the Foosung Precision Industry Co., which makes fluoropolymer lined tanks, pipes, and valves. The cause was likely due to a short-circuit during welding. The plant had only four workers, all of whom were Vietnamese nationals. –VNA