Homeplus officials summoned over disinfectant

The prosecution on Tuesday summoned two officials of Homeplus over the sales of toxic humidifier disinfectant, expanding the high-profile probe to other companies.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it called in two officials of the retailer who were in charge of managing internal rules and customer service respectively while the company was selling the disinfectants.

Of the total 221 victims officially confirmed by the government, 28 used Homeplus’ product, with 12 deaths, the prosecution said.

Homeplus sold its toxic humidifier disinfectant that contained PHMG as private brand goods from 2006 to 2011. It manufactured the product from an original equipment manufacturer after it saw the sales growth of Oxy’s humidifier disinfectant, it said.

The prosecution looked into whether Homeplus followed the right product manufacturing manual and when customer complaints started to come in over the product use.

The prosecution summoned the head of the original equipment manufacturer surnamed Kim on Monday. Kim was in charge of producing the problematic product for both Homeplus and Lotte Mart. Kim’s company was later found to have mainly produced shoe polishes.

Amid the probe that is widening to local distributors, Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong said Tuesday that he would track back the history of the government’s overall measures over disinfectant control and monitoring.

“It is necessary to reveal who is ultimately responsible for the case. It can be said that (the ministry) is currently conducting the work of checking all the factors (that are involved with the case),” said Kim in the National Assembly’s meeting. The products were made and sold since 2001.

Meanwhile, the victims’ families and civic groups accused law firm Kim & Chang of attempting to cover up Oxy Reckitt Benckiser’s responsibility by allegedly suggesting that the two universities manipulate the product-toxicity test.

Kim & Chang, one of the largest law firms in Korea, has come under fire after a Seoul National University professor, who was arrested for manipulating the toxicity test of Oxy’s product, claimed that the law firm interfered in the test. Kim & Chang has been Oxy RB’s legal representative August 2011.

Kim & Chang has refuted this claim, saying that it never interfered with any experiment.

The prosecution raided Seoul National University and Hoseo University earlier this month on suspicions that their professors had allegedly fabricated test results in return for money.

The victims claimed that the law firm was behind it.

“Kim & Chang demanded the two professors to make unreasonable conditions for the experiment and to stop the test when toxicity was confirmed. It also coaxed the victims to make deals with the company by submitting the fabricated test results to the court,” said Choi Ye-Yong, head of the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health.

Since the case broke out, 80 percent of victims who filed a suit against Oxy have made agreements with the company, before the prosecutorial probe was launched, he added.

Under the negotiation, Oxy reportedly said it agrees to provide compensation but this does not mean that the company admits its fault. The victims were also asked not to file civil or criminal lawsuits in the future.
By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)