멈춰버린 대덕산단과 흔들리는 타이어 업계의 명암: 정전 사태에서 주가 전망까지 > K-wave Trends

The power outage occurred around 2:30 PM on the 8th, halting operations at major companies within the Daedeok Industrial Complex for an extended period. While Hankook Tire's Daejeon plant operated emergency generators to maintain power in the main building, core production facilities remained idle until after 4:30 PM, resulting in massive production setbacks. Neighboring companies such as Hansol Paper and Hanon Systems also faced significant operational disruptions as power supply was temporarily cut and restored. Although the city of Daejeon and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) immediately launched a joint investigation, the frustration of the affected companies deepened as the impact of the outage was concentrated in specific zones rather than the entire complex.

The root cause of the accident was revealed to be an internal issue during a facility inspection conducted by the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water). When a problem arose during maintenance work at the Hyeondo Intake Station in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, KEPCO automatically triggered circuit breakers in that area to prevent further damage to the power grid. Consequently, the circuit supplying power to the nearby industrial complex was cut, causing innocent manufacturers to suffer. The fact that an inspection intended for industrial safety paradoxically caused a large-scale power outage has led to calls for a comprehensive review of the facility inspection processes of public institutions.

Meanwhile, Hankook Tire, which saw its factory operations halted by the outage, is coincidentally receiving contrasting attention from the stock market during the same period. On the 9th, immediately following the outage, Daol Investment Securities released an analysis suggesting that Hankook Tire & Technology's stock is significantly undervalued. Researcher Yoo Ji-woong assessed that with the company's price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) hovering at 6.6x, a revaluation is highly possible alongside future earnings improvements. In particular, the assessment highlights sufficient potential for stock price growth, driven by the successful pass-through of rising costs to sales prices in the second half of this year and external favorable factors, such as the EU's imposition of anti-dumping duties on Chinese tires.

This positive outlook for Hankook Tire is supported by the company's ongoing structural improvement strategy and shareholder return policies. Efforts to enhance shareholder value are becoming visible, such as the introduction of interim dividends for the first time this year, and annual operating profit is projected to reach the 2 trillion won range, an increase of approximately 13% compared to the previous year. While the unexpected variable of a power outage caused short-term production losses, the general consensus in the financial sector is that the company's fundamentals and global competitiveness remain solid. Ultimately, this serves as a reminder that securing a stable power supply for production sites is the most fundamental foundation for protecting corporate value.

Another tire-related issue that recently became a hot topic in online communities is the "wheel-driving" vehicle incident. A vehicle was spotted speeding down the road with a tire completely missing, shocking citizens; the driver explained they were on their way to get the tire replaced. This dangerous drive, which covered 6–7 km at speeds of 50–60 km/h while making a deafening noise, was fortunately stopped thanks to a citizen's report and police intervention. This is a stark example of how essential tires are to vehicle safety and how negligence in tire maintenance can lead to significant social costs and risks, highlighting the importance of tire management alongside industrial production disruptions.