Only 3 Bodies Identified
Three officials from Arisell, a lithium primary battery manufacturer in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, have been booked on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
Min Gilsu, Head of the Regional Accident Response Headquarters of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (Director of the Central Employment and Labor Office), announced the labor authorities' measures at a briefing on the Hwaseong fire accident on the 26th, stating, "We will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation, and if any legal violations are confirmed, strict action will be taken."
A full work stoppage order has been issued for the entire Arisell factory. This measure aims to prevent similar or related accidents within the factory.
The Central Accident Response Headquarters has instructed about 500 battery manufacturing workplaces to conduct self-inspections of lithium handling safety rules. Approximately 200 battery-related companies have been conducting emergency fire safety inspections since the previous day.
Earlier, a fire broke out on the 2nd floor of Building 3 at the Arisell factory at 10:31 a.m. on the 24th, resulting in 23 deaths and 8 serious injuries. So far, the identified deceased include Kim (52), a Korean national; Lee (46), naturalized from China to Korea; and Kim (47), a Korean national who was last recovered while missing. The identities of the remaining deceased are being confirmed through DNA matching by the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice.
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