Prosecutors reopen case against McDonald's
Parents of children suffering hemolytic uremic syndrome allegedly after eating at McDonald's hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office in Seocho District, Seoul, in July 2017. / Yonhap
By Kim Jae-heun
Prosecutors raided McDonald's Korea's headquarters in downtown Seoul, Tuesday, reopening its investigation into a 2017 case connected to four children who contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) sometimes referred to as “hamburger disease.”
HUS is a disease in which bacterial infection deteriorates one's kidney function. In October 2016, a four-year-old girl was diagnosed with the condition after eating a Bulgogi Burger at the U.S. fast food restaurant, resulting in the girl requiring lifelong dialysis.
Her parents, along with families of three other victims, sued McDonald's Korea and its patty supplier for violating the Food Sanitation Act in July 2017.
After seven months of investigation, prosecutors cleared McDonald's Korea of the charges.
Instead, it put three patty suppliers on trial for allegedly providing possibly contaminated ingredients. The case was closed in February 2018.
However, another allegation arose during the National Assembly inspection last year that McDonald's Korea had forced its employees to make false statements during the prosecutorial investigation.
Local civic groups again started legal action against McDonald's Korea and its patty supplier for violation of the Food Sanitation Act. It also accused civil servants related to food safety working at Sejong Government Complex of professional negligence resulting in death and breach of the Civil Servants Law.
Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl said during the National Assembly audit that “if there was a misrepresentation, there is no reason not to reinvestigate the case thoroughly.”
McDonald's Korea said it can neither express complaints nor take action against the prosecutor's reinvestigation.
“We cannot comment on this question as the investigation is stil in process. McDonald's Korea will fully cooperate with the authorities on all necessary procedures regarding the reinvestigation,” a McDonald's Korea official said.
The official refused to confirm what documents prosecutors had confiscated during the search and only added the company will do its best to live up to its customers' trust.
However, prosecutors have reportedly seized books recording maintenance of the ingredients used in the burgers sold at its restaurants across the country.
McDonald's Korea's new Managing Director Antoni Martinez is remaining silent about this case as the original events took place before his appointment here in February.
Martinez has been working hard to restore the reputation of the U.S. fast food chain after it suffered various controversies including the HUS cases and reports of a deterioration in quality of ingredients.
“When the prosecution is reinvestigating the case of the same charge on which it was cleared of suspicion before, it is doing so with a purpose. The chance of McDonald's Korea being cleared this time is very unlikely,” an industry source said.