Oxy Reckitt Benckiser (Oxy RB) and LG Household & Health Care officials, who were witnesses at the hearing to find out the truth about the humidifier disinfectant disaster, were criticized for consistently trying to avoid responsibility.
"The humidifier disinfectant disaster is a complicated problem by a variety of causes, many parties, and over a long period of time," Oxy RB CEO Park Dong-seok said at a fact-finding hearing held at the Seoul City Hall on Aug. 28. "It is practically difficult for us (Oxy RB) to come up with a solution on our own in such a complicated matter."
"When Yukong (now SK Chemicals) first developed, manufactured, and sold humidifier sterilizers in 1994, and when Oxy introduced similar products to the world in 1996, the government should have made safer standards and thoroughly supervised management. If it did so, such a disaster would have not happened," he said.
"If the government agencies and SK Chemicals, which are responsible for supplying raw materials, worked sincerely to make compensation when Oxy admitted responsibility in 2016 and started to compensate for the incident, the pain and suffering of the victims would have been greatly reduced," he added.
Then, in the public gallery, where the victim and the victim's family sat, there was a barrage of criticism, saying, "You are a killer company" and "That's what the victim would say."
Choi Ye-yong, vice chairman of the special investigation committee on social tragedy, criticized, “I expected Oxy to come out with foregoing measures, but Oxy is blaming the government and other companies, saying that they did not follow the measures for the victims.”