'Arisel CEO in Hwaseong Fire' Selected as Witness for Environment and Labor Committee Audit

Park Soon-kwan, CEO of Arisell, who has been identified as responsible for the fire accident at the Hwaseong Arisell factory, has been selected as a witness for the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's audit.

AriCell's parent company Econex CEO Park Soon-kwan is answering reporters' questions at the site of the fire accident at AriCell's primary battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province on the 25th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

On the 17th, the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee held a plenary session ahead of the audit of 11 subordinate organizations under the Ministry of Environment, including the Korea Water Resources Corporation, held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. They selected CEO Park, CEO Koo Young-bae of Qoo10, CEO Park Hyun-chul of Winia Electronics, and Franz Horton, CEO of Pernod Ricard Korea, as witnesses for the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor scheduled for the 25th. The ruling and opposition parties unanimously approved the selection of these witnesses, including CEO Park.

CEO Park has been identified as responsible for the fire that occurred on June 24 at Arisell, a primary lithium battery manufacturer located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The fire resulted in the deaths of 23 workers and injuries to 8 others. CEO Park was arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Members of the Environment and Labor Committee are expected to question CEO Park regarding whether harmful and dangerous factors related to the fire accident were inspected and addressed, and why manuals for serious accident preparedness were not in place.

On the 30th of last month, CEO Park was not included in the list of witnesses and reference persons confirmed by the Environment and Labor Committee for the audit. The Arisell Industrial Accident Victims' Families Council, composed of bereaved families of the Arisell fire victims, and the Arisell Serious Accident Disaster Countermeasures Committee held a protest in front of the National Assembly main gate on the 8th, demanding the selection of CEO Park as a witness.

Meanwhile, CEO Koo was selected as a witness for the second time following the Ministry of Employment and Labor audit held on the 10th. However, he did not attend on the 10th because a pre-trial detention hearing was held that morning. CEO Koo is facing charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement, fraud, breach of trust).