Drank Beverage from Refrigerator at Subway Station and Vomited... What Happened to the Transit Corporation Employees?

Drinking Carbonated Drinks in Incheon City Hall History Office
Police Investigation and Precise Forensic Analysis by National Forensic Service

After Incheon Transit Corporation employees showed vomiting symptoms after drinking carbonated beverages stored in a refrigerator inside the subway station office, the police launched an investigation.

According to the Incheon Namdong Police Station on the 12th, two men in their 20s to 30s, including Mr. A, an employee of Incheon Transit Corporation, showed symptoms such as vomiting inside the Incheon City Hall Station of the Incheon Subway in Ganseok-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, around 5 a.m. the previous day, Yonhap News reported on the same day.

It was understood that Mr. A and others showed these symptoms after drinking carbonated beverages stored in the refrigerator inside the station staff office. When they showed abnormal symptoms, another transit corporation employee, Mr. B, who poured the beverage from the PET bottle for them, also tasted the drink and received hospital treatment together. Mr. B stated in the police investigation, "I do not remember whether the PET bottle containing the carbonated beverage was already opened."

The refrigerator in question was used communally by station staff, and it was also reported that employees stored their personal food and drinks or lost items such as food found in the subway. The police collected the beverage after receiving a report from Incheon Transit Corporation in the afternoon of the same day and requested a detailed analysis for component examination from the National Forensic Service.

A police official told Yonhap News, "Mr. A and others who showed vomiting symptoms received hospital treatment and are expected to be discharged after fully recovering their health," adding, "The source of the beverage has not yet been confirmed." They also added, "We plan to investigate various possibilities, including whether the beverage was spoiled or if someone put a foreign substance in it."