Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan /Yonhap

Police and the labor ministry on Friday requested an arrest warrant for the chief executive of lithium battery maker Aricell and three others in connection with June's deadly fire that claimed 23 lives.

The request was announced in a joint news conference by the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and the Gyeonggi provincial office of the labor ministry, which have investigated the cause of the deadly blaze that occurred at Aricell's plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 24, killing as many as 23 workers, including 18 foreigners.

Investigators found out that Aricell had passed quality inspections by continuously manipulating test samples since it started supplying battery products to the military in 2021. The company's products eventually failed to meet the national defense standards in a quality test in April this year, they said.

They also concluded that the fire may have occurred while unskilled workers were mobilized for the manufacturing process.

The police and labor ministry said they have asked for an arrest warrant for three officials of Aricell, including CEO Park Soon-kwan, and a workforce supplier on charges of violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and other laws. (Yonhap)