A judge announced on Thursday ( Aug 29 ) that the CEO of a South Korean lithium battery manufacturer that was struck by a fire that claimed 23 lives in June had been detained.
Park Soon-kwan, the CEO of Aricell, which is majority-owned by S-Connect, apologised after the fire but said at the moment the firm had followed all necessary safety measures and education for employees.
Due to the seriousness of the allegations against him, a public affairs prosecutor said by phone to the Suwon District Court, which has jurisdiction for the town of Hwaseong where the mill is located.
The judge also approved a detention permit for Park’s child, who is an executive at the company, she said.
Park’s attorney could not be soon reached for comment.
Park did not respond to reporters ‘ questions about the charges against him during a hearing on Wednesday, but he instead said,” I’m sorry,” as it appeared on television.
Officials investigating the fire released a statement on Friday, claiming that a jump to join a offer date and a lack of action to address warning signs of unsafe quality defects in batteries produced caused the fire.
According to police and labor ministry officials, hiring temporary workers who did n’t receive proper safety and emergency escape training to make up for a backlog of production contributed to the high number of casualties.