CEO arrested following fatal battery fire in South Korea
30 August 2024
The CEO of South Korean lithium battery manufacturer Aricell has been arrested in relation to the 24 June fire that killed 23 people at the company’s factory in Hwaseong. Park Soon-kwan was arrested after a court approved a warrant following allegations of industrial safety violations.
CCTV image showing the fire out of control - Image: Wikimedia
Court officials announced on 28 August that a warrant for Park’s arrest had been approved due to the seriousness of the allegations against him and Aricell. A warrant for another Aricell official, Park’s son, has also been approved.
In television footage of Park entering court in handcuffs, he did not respond to questions from reporters but said he was “sorry”. A day later, Park issued a statement in which he apologised to the bereaved families and accepted responsibility.
The incident on 24 June occurred after a number of battery cells exploded in a warehouse where around 35,000 batteries were being stored. A total of 23 workers, many of which were Chinese nationals, were confirmed to have died at the scene. Several other workers were treated in hospital for severe burns. A total of 100 workers had been inside the facility when the fire broke out. South Korea-based Aricell produces lithium batteries for products such as sensors and communication devices.
Investigators released a report on 23 August saying there were a number of safety issues at the warehouse and workers were being rushed to meet a supply deadline. The report outlines how in April, Aricell failed a quality inspection for batteries and as a result began to ramp up production in order to make up the backlog.
Temporary and unskilled workers were hired which led to an increase in defective batteries, including some that overheated after being finished. Despite these issues, Aricell failed to address the safety issues and continued with ramping up production.
Police added in the report that the high number of casualties in the incident was also a result of untrained workers with many lacking emergency escape training.
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