Overview

• The fire at Kumho Tire’s Gwangju plant broke out on May 17 in the raw rubber heating section, spreading rapidly and consuming about 50–60% of Plant No. 2.
• Firefighters achieved 90–95% containment as of May 18, lowering the response level and focusing on extinguishing remaining hotspots.
• The blaze injured one worker and two firefighters, forced the evacuation of 400 workers and 132 nearby residents, and caused significant disruption to local communities.
• Production at the plant, which accounts for nearly half of Kumho Tire’s domestic output, remains suspended, potentially impacting tire supplies to automakers Hyundai and Kia.
• Kumho Tire is assessing damages, planning to shift production to other facilities, and investigating the fire’s cause, suspected to involve equipment used for heating raw rubber.