Police and Ministry of Employment Conduct Search and Seizure at Hwaseong Fire Site Including Arisel

Including manpower suppliers Meisel and Hanshin Dia
51 personnel deployed including investigators and labor inspectors

The police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, investigating the fire accident at the Arisel factory in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, launched a forced investigation on the 26th.

At the battery factory fire site in Hwaseong City, which resulted in 31 casualties on the 24th, police, firefighters, and related personnel are conducting a joint investigation to analyze the cause of the fire. [Yonhap News]

The Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's Arisel Fire Accident Investigation Headquarters and the Gyeonggi Employment and Labor Office announced that from 4 p.m. that day, they were conducting a search and seizure at three companies located in Jeongok-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si: Arisel, the manpower supply company Meisel, and Hanshin Dia. A total of 51 personnel were deployed for the search and seizure, including 34 police investigators and 17 labor inspectors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

In addition to the offices of these companies, the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor simultaneously conducted search and seizure at the residence of Park Soon-kwan, the CEO of Arisel. The two agencies plan to secure various documents and electronic information related to the battery manufacturing process through the search and seizure. They also plan to confiscate the mobile phones of CEO Park and other company officials.

The police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor intend to clarify the facts of this fire as quickly as possible through the analysis of the seized items. After the analysis of the seized items is completed, suspect summons investigations are expected to follow. A Ministry of Employment and Labor official stated, "Through the search and seizure, we plan to thoroughly verify the cause of the fire and the reasons for the occurrence of multiple casualties."

Earlier, the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor booked three Arisel officials, including CEO Park, the general headquarters director, and the safety officer, as well as two manpower supply company officials, on charges including professional negligence causing death or injury, violation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and all were subjected to travel bans.