Prosecutors are wrong to rule out murder charges against the makers and suppliers of disinfectants for humidifiers that killed and injured hundreds of people.
In a recent media briefing, a spokesman at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office stated, “In order to apply murder charges, the accused companies should be proven to have manufactured or sold products for the specific purpose of killing people.”
The prosecution spokesman added that he sympathized with the victims and their families in their demand for murder charges but it wasn’t plausible.
First, it was not appropriate for the prosecution, which is investigating the case that has caused the deaths of at least 100 infants and pregnant women among others, to preclude murder charges in advance even as suspects are brought in for questioning. It’s not hard to infer that the prosecution is ready to settle for manslaughter charges that carry far lighter penalties.
This may be a tactic by the prosecutors to lower expectations for the victims, who are hoping that justice will, however belatedly, finally prevail, as the investigation is finally getting to an earnest start after the cases were first brought to the fore five years ago.
Still, the prosecutors should remind themselves that their priority is to try to the best of their ability to get to the bottom of the case, and determining what charges they bring to the culprits should come next.
It’s not just a procedural mistake but, more importantly, can be viewed as an act of negligence or taking sides with the businesses, considering more evidence is emerging about wrongdoing by the makers and suppliers.
For instance, Oxy, one of the manufacturers whose product had caused the largest number of victims, had allegedly cherry-picked non-critical studies and concocted some data, besides removing consumer complaints from its website.
It is obvious that the accused firms have been trying all-out to avoid responsibility even after the ties between their products and illnesses befalling consumers were officially established, rather than take the initiative in nailing the cause and taking follow-up measures.
The result is not just great physical damage but also deep heartache suffered by the victims. This delay tactic may have cost lives.
Also adding to the people’s dismay was the government’s inability to address this situation at an early stage, something that can only be expected of a third-rated country.
Now, much of the reduced hope for justice for the victims lies with the prosecutors. The prosecutors should rise to this important mission once and for all for those who lost their lives, or will be bedridden for the rest of their lives for using something so ordinary as a disinfectant in a humidifier.