SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities launched an investigation on Tuesday after three workers died during a car test at a Hyundai Motor plant in the South Korean city of Ulsan, police said.
A police officer based in Ulsan said that the three people who died included two Hyundai researchers involved in car testing at Hyundai’s No.4 factory in Ulsan at around 3 p.m.
The officer told Reuters that police and the labour ministry were investigating the incident.
The three were found unconscious in a car while they were testing the car in a “chamber,” according to a union official.
Media reports said the three had suffocated.
A company spokesperson did not have an immediate comment.
The Ulsan plant is Hyundai’s biggest manufacturing facility, with its own port and an annual production capacity of 1.4 million vehicles, including exports of 1.1 million units.
In November last year, Hyundai Motor broke ground on a 2 trillion won ($1.44 billion) plant in Ulsan dedicated to making electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea, as the automaker accelerates a shift away from petrol-powered cars.
($1 = 1,391.8800 won)
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Ed Davies)
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