Amid the widening probe into the humidifier sterilizer tragedy, the government is coming under fire for its lax supervision that is blamed for allowing the use of toxic chemicals in humidifier sterilizers. The ministry is accused of skipping necessary tests and overlooking omitted documents when approving the products in question. The government is also being criticized for opposing the opposition-led legislative drive to fortify compensation for the victims.According to liberal lawyers’ group M

Social Affairs May 11, 2016

The prosecution resummoned Monday former chief executive Shin Hyun-woo of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser who oversaw the sales of more than 4.5 million toxic humidifier sterilizers from 2001, reportedly seeking a warrant for his arrest.In late April, Shin appeared for a 17-hour-long prosecution investigation on suspicion that he pushed ahead with the sales of toxic humidifier sterilizer even after being aware of the toxicity of PHMG in the humidifier sterilizer.While he is believed to be chiefly responsi

Social Affairs May 9, 2016

Protesters who flew to the United Kingdom to stage a protest against Oxy Reckitt Benckiser’s toxic humidifier sterilizer will meet with the parent company’s CEO Rakesh Kapoor on Friday to further discuss compensation measures, protest organizers said.Kim Deok-jong, whose 5-year-old son died in 2009 after battling a respiratory disease, and Choi Ye-yong, head of the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health, arrived in England on Thursday for a week-long protest at the company headquarter

Social Affairs May 5, 2016

YonhapGiven mounting concerns over fine dust in Seoul, 29-year-old Kim Yoon, a valet parking agent in Seorae French Village in Banpo-dong, does not forget to wear a mask when heading outside. “I can see dust-ridden cars as I work outside all day long, which makes me feel like I’m in a defenseless state,” said Kim. “I think people in Seoul, not just me, are already too exposed to fine dust,” he said, adding that he is worried, as there is not much he can do about it.Over the recent decades, Korea

Social Affairs May 4, 2016

The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office raided Wednesday offices of professors of Seoul National University and Hoseo University who had led the product toxicity test requested by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser. A SNU professor surnamed Cho was arrested without warrant. The prosecution suspects that the professors allegedly received money from Oxy Reckitt Benckiser -- formally renamed Reckitt Benckiser Korea since 2014 -- in exchange for omitting some of the product’s toxicity test results. In Apr

Social Affairs May 4, 2016

Local distributors Homeplus and Lotte Mart came under fire over the weekend for promoting Oxy Reckitt Benckiser products as a boycott against the company continues to spread amid the ongoing probe into its toxic humidifier disinfectant.The supermarket chains reportedly promoted sales of household items including Oxy’s stain remover OxiClean, toilet-cleaning gel Easy Off Bang, fabric softener Cherie, closet repellent Thirsty Hippo and more. Their sales promotion included buy-one-get-one-free even

Social Affairs May 1, 2016

Located 30 kilometers south of Seoul, Suwon is the largest metropolis of Gyeonggi Province. Besides being home to a World Heritage site and some 1.1 million residents, it is also known as the “city of filial piety.”King Jeongjo, who reigned during the Joseon Dynasty from 1777 to 1800 as the 22nd king, wanted to build a “utopian city” to remember his ill-fated father Prince Sado –- who was victimized in faction struggles in 1762 -- by constructing a fortress around his father’s tomb at Haenggung

Social Affairs May 1, 2016

Kang Ji-hye, 34, the mother of a 4-year-old boy, runs a wedding shop in Gangnam, Seoul. Her business requires her to work during weekends and even on national holidays. Her husband goes to work at a manufacturing firm six days a week.After Kang heads to work at 8 a.m., her son Dong-woo is taken care of by a nanny she hired three years ago.For Kang, this year’s Children’s Day will not be so different from any other day. She asked the nanny to come in despite it being an official holiday, as she f

Social Affairs April 29, 2016

The probe into toxic humidifier disinfectant is quickly gaining momentum, as the prosecution is set to start consultations with the victims on compensation this week. Questions, however, persist over the direction of the investigation, the current legal system and the government’s role in the tragedy that has led to more than 200 deaths allegedly caused by using the products.“We are going to help them with practical compensation, by discussing with representatives of the victims group within thi

Social Affairs April 25, 2016

Following Oxy Reckitt Benckiser’s first-ever public apology for its toxic humidifier disinfectant blamed for the loss of 103 lives, the prosecution said Friday that it will investigate related officials in the U.K.-based headquarters.According to the special probe team, executives and researchers at the U.K. headquarters were found to have ordered the Seoul office to destroy evidence related to the toxicity of the disputed humidifier disinfectant.The prosecution will closely look into emails exc

Social Affairs April 22, 2016

At 6:50 a.m., a group of people with eyes half-closed make a long line outside Seoul Station.“This is quite usual (to wait in a long line). Even if the bus is packed, I will still hop on and ride the bus standing for the entire 40 minutes,” said Jeong Hye-ryoung, who commutes to Pangyo in Gyeonggi Province for work every day.Like Jeong, as many as 24,000 or 12.5 percent of bus commuters in the metropolitan region travel crammed into a bus daily, barely standing up and holding onto the seat for s

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Located near the serene Bukhansan National Park in northwestern Seoul, the April 19 National Cemetery is home to 199 victims who sacrificed their lives in the April Revolution of 1960.Thousands of students had marched from Korea University to the presidential office on April 19, 1960, calling for the resignation of then-president Syngman Rhee to overthrow the autocratic First Republic of South Korea.Police opened fire on protestors, wounding thousands and killing approximately 180. That day, the

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Household products manufacturer Oxy Reckitt Benckiser allegedly destroyed evidence related to humidifier disinfectant blamed for the loss of some 140 lives, when the prosecution launched a probe in late February, prosecutors said Wednesday.The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office said that the firm is suspected of deleting a number of materials and safety data sheets written from 2001 to 2011 and created by a local chemical company SK Chemical.An official from the humidifier disinfectant m

Social Affairs April 20, 2016

Prosecutors said Sunday that they would specifically investigate a professor at Seoul National University for allegedly receiving money from a disinfectant maker in exchange for overlooking toxicity test results. According to a group of researchers from SNU who were summoned for questioning earlier this month, several researchers had opposed the product test request by Oxy Reckitt Benckinser, claiming the given testing process would not be sufficient to deduce credible results.The toxicity test,

Social Affairs April 17, 2016

The final voter turnout for the parliamentary election hit 58 percent, slightly lower than the originally anticipated 60 percent mark, but the highest since 1996, with a noticeable jump among 20- and 30-somethings.The National Election Commission said 24.4 million out of 42.1 million eligible Korean voters cast their ballots, the highest in 20 years when 63.9 percent of voters turned out. It was also 3.8 percentage points higher than 54.2 percent in the 2012 general election.Voters have their id

Social Affairs April 14, 2016