CEO of South Korean lithium battery maker arrested over deadly fire incident
CEO of South Korean lithium battery maker hit by fire in June that killed 23 people has been arrested. Photo: Reuters
The CEO of a South Korean lithium battery maker that was hit by a fire in June that killed 23 people has been arrested after a court issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday night on charges of violating the Industrial Safety Law, media reported.
Park Soon-kwan, the CEO of Aricell, which is majority owned by S-Connect, apologized after the fire but said the company had taken all required safety measures at the time and trained its staff.
The Suwon District Court, which has jurisdiction over the city of Hwaseong where the factory is located, approved the arrest warrant for Park, Yonhap newspaper reported on Wednesday night.
Court officials could not be reached for confirmation Thursday morning. Park’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
When Park entered the courtroom for a hearing on Wednesday, he did not answer reporters’ questions about the charges against him but did say, “I’m sorry,” television footage showed.
Authorities investigating the fire released a report Friday saying the fire was caused by rushing to meet a delivery deadline and a lack of action to address signs of dangerous quality defects in the batteries being produced.
According to police and Ministry of Labor officials, hiring temporary workers who lack proper safety and emergency training to make up for production backlogs is a contributing factor to the high number of casualties.
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First publication: Aug 29, 2024 | 08:46 AM IST