At 10:32 a.m. local time on June 1, a fire broke out in a 6-story gas room connecting the M15 and M15X production lines at SK Hynix’s Cheongju Plant 4. The automatic sprinkler system was activated, and the fire was brought under control in time, but toxic fluorine gas leaked on site at a concentration of approximately 5 ppm. Seven people were taken to the hospital for examination, and all approximately 3,600 employees at the plant were evacuated as a precaution. According to Yonhap News Agency, there have been no reports of casualties.
SK Hynix stated that all equipment at the plant is currently operating normally. The initial speculation is that the fire was caused by a malfunction inside a gas pipe. The company will investigate the exact cause. M15 and M15X are the core HBM and DRAM production lines at SK Hynix’s Cheongju base. The company has not yet disclosed whether this incident will affect existing production capacity or shipment plans.