SEOUL (Reuters) – The CEO of South Korea’s Young Poong Corp has been arrested, the company said on Thursday, as prosecutors investigated his liability over safety-related deaths at the company’s Seokpo zinc smelter.
A South Korean court approved early Thursday an arrest warrant for Young Poong’s CEO, Park Young Min, after prosecutors alleged he violated South Korean law that holds employers criminally liable for serious industrial accidents.
Young Poong said there is no disruption to management or production.
Park has not yet been formally charged. The Daegu District Court’s Andong Branch said it approved the warrant for Park due to flight risk and potential destruction of evidence.
He has denied some of the allegations, local media said. A spokesperson for Park could not be reached.
Three deadly incidents including gas exposure and heatstroke have occurred at the Seokpo smelter in the last nine months, killing three people and injuring three, Yonhap news agency reported, citing prosecutors.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ros Russell)
