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One dead, three injured after inhaling toxic gas at Posco plant

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 13:43 Updated: 05 Nov. 2025, 17:00

Dark clouds hang over the skies above Posco's steel mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, on July 31. [NEWS1]

One worker died and three others were injured after inhaling toxic gas at a Posco plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, on Wednesday.

According to police and fire authorities, the incident occurred around 9 a.m. at the stainless steel annealing and pickling mill within the steelmaker’s Pohang plant. Several subcontracted workers from Posco DX were performing preliminary maintenance work when they were exposed to the gas.

Four workers experienced breathing difficulties and chest pain. They were treated on site and transported by emergency services. One of the workers, who was in his 50s and an employee of a partner company, died. The remaining three, who are in their 30s and sustained first- and second-degree burns, were treated at a hospital and discharged.

Fire authorities suspect the leaked chemical was either nitric acid or hydrofluoric acid. Police and Posco representatives said the exact substance will be identified through further investigation.

Posco immediately halted operations in the affected area and conducted ventilation and safety inspections.

Police plan to investigate the company's safety managers to determine the exact cause of the accident.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]