HomeInternational NewsDeadly Lithium Battery Factory Fire in South Korea Claims 23 Lives

Deadly Lithium Battery Factory Fire in South Korea Claims 23 Lives

A deadly fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea, which occurred in June, broke out as the company was attempting to meet a production deadline while failing to address signs of serious quality issues, police reported. At least 23 people lost their lives in the fire at the Aricell lithium battery factory, making it one of the country’s worst industrial disasters in recent years.

Aricell, which also produces batteries for the South Korean military, had failed a quality inspection in April and subsequently chose to increase production to catch up on delays. Police, represented by Kim Jong-min, stated that the company hired temporary and inexperienced workers, resulting in an increase in product defects, including overheating of finished batteries, without taking necessary precautions to contain safety risks. The company aimed to produce 5,000 batteries a day and “initiated excessive production,” the police added.

Further investigations revealed that Aricell had previously passed quality inspections by manipulating test samples since it began supplying battery products to the military in 2021. Both the Ministry of Employment and Labor (Beskæftigelses- og Arbejdsministeriet) and police have requested arrest warrants for three senior employees from Aricell, including CEO Park Soon-kwan. “The accident occurred as the company continued its production without taking necessary precautions despite issues at several stages of the production process,” said Kim.

The police further pointed out that the company did not comply with factory safety regulations, including a lack of emergency exits and insufficient safety training for employees who did not speak Korean. Surveillance cameras indicated that the fire originated from a stack of batteries and quickly spread throughout the factory, where 35,000 lithium batteries were stored. Fire safety experts have stated that the spread of toxic smoke likely made it impossible for workers to react within seconds.

Among the deceased were 17 Chinese workers, one Laotian, and the rest South Koreans. “Due to gross negligence, the majority of workers were found on the other side of the emergency exit—even though there were 37 seconds available for evacuation after the first explosion on June 24,” concluded Kim.

South Korea has faced a series of deadly incidents in recent years, including the Halloween tragedy, which has been criticized for a lack of enforcement of safety regulations. On Thursday, a fire was reported at a hotel in Bucheon, possibly caused by a short circuit or other electrical issues, resulting in seven deaths and dozens of injuries.

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