Factory Chief Arrested Over Deadly Fire That Killed 23

The chief executive of Aricell, a South Korean lithium battery company, Park Soon-kwan has been arrested over a massive factory fire in June that killed 23 people and injured nine others.

A court had on Wednesday approved the warrant for Park’s arrest after investigators suspect that Aricell’s management may have violated workplace safety regulations.

The fire is considered one of South Korea’s most severe factory disasters in recent years.

Park had issued an apology after the fire incident, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and would like to express our deepest condolences and apologies to the bereaved families.

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

Park’s arrest came after a police investigation found out that the factory was rushing to meet production deadlines.

Investigators also alleged several safety breaches at the plant, including a failure to address quality defects in batteries and hiring unskilled staff to handle dangerous materials.

It was also alleged that Aricell had been cheating in quality inspections in relation to contracts with the military.

The blaze broke out on 24 June after several battery cells exploded.

At the time of the fire, the Aricell factory housed an estimated 35,000 battery cells on its second floor where batteries were inspected and packaged.

As a lithium fire can react intensely with water, firefighters had to use dry sand to extinguish the blaze, which took several hours to get under control.

The victims were mostly foreign workers, from countries including China and Laos.

Aricells’ parent company, S-Connect, did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.