Aricell Chief Arrested Over Massive Battery Plant Fire

The chief executive of South Korea’s Aricell has been arrested over a massive fire at a battery plant in June that killed 23 people and injured nine.

A court approved the warrant for the arrest of Park Soon-kwan on allegations of violating industrial safety law, a judge told reporters.

Aricell, majority owned by S-Connect, has apologised while maintaining the company followed safety and staff-training requirements.

The Suwon District Court, which has jurisdiction for the city of Hwaesong where the factory is located, said the arrest warrant was justified by the gravity of the allegations against Park.

Accusations

The court also approved a detention warrant for Park’s son, an executive at Aricell.

As he entered the court for a hearing last Wednesday, Park declined to answer reporters’ questions but said, “I’m sorry,” local television reports showed.

Authorities on Friday released a report accusing Aricell of failing to address signs of dangerous quality defects in batteries amidst a rush to meet a supply deadline.

Unskilled staff were hired to handle dangerous materials, investigators said.

They also accused Aricell of cheating on quality inspections related to contracts with the military.

The company hired temporary workers to make up for a production backlog and did not give them proper safety and emergency escape training, contributing to the large number of casualties, police and labour ministry official said.

Series of explosions

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and would like to express our deepest condolences and apologies to the bereaved families,” Park said after the fire.

“We take great responsibility and will sincerely provide support to the deceased and their families in every way possible.”

The blaze began after a single battery cell caught fire, triggering a series of explosions in a warehouse where 35,000 lithium battery cells were stored on the second floor of the factory.

Some 102 people had been working in the factory when the fire broke out, authorities said.

The dead were found on the 12,500-square-foot second floor of the factory, which had two unlocked exit staircases leading outside.

The workers appeared to have been overcome by toxic smoke before they could escape, according to authorities.