By Kim Se-jeong
A group of victims of toxic humidifier disinfectant poisoning refused to accept Oxy Reckitt Benckiser (RB)’s latest compensation offer, arguing it only attempted to buy them off with money.
The victims and the families said Monday that they see the compensation plan as an attempt by the company to avoid severe punishment, saying the company’s apology was “crocodile tears.”
Their reaction came a day after the Oxy RB announced it would receive compensation applications, encouraging the victims to follow the instructions on its website.
“When the National Assembly’s special investigation committee visited the company last week, officials denied the accusations and had an insincere attitude,” the group said in a statement. “Showing such an attitude and presenting its compensation plan, the company is only trying to gag us with money.”
“We cannot accept this process. We were not invited to talk about compensation,” Kim Deok-jong who lost a child to the Oxy humidifier disinfectant said. In May, he flew to London to protest in front of the RB’s headquarters. “This is not an agreement based on consensus.”
The compensation offer came after three meetings with victims and is applicable to serious injured victims and families of those who were killed by the toxic chemicals used in the product. The humidifier disinfectant killed at least 147 people officially, and 103 of them are believed to have used the Oxy products.
According to the plan, up to 1 billion won will be given to the family of a child who was killed. For adult victims who were killed, the company proposed 350 million won. For those alive, the company will pay compensation based on the extent of physical damages they suffered.
Activists helping the victims also denounced the manufacturer.
“Again, Oxy is trying to cover up the scandal quickly by handing out money fast. If it really feels sorry, it has to recognize its wrongdoing and comply with investigations by the Korean prosecution and the Assembly,” the Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health said in a statement.
The center also said Jain Gaurav, former CEO of the company serving between 2010 and 2013, should be called to Korea for interrogation. He is currently working in Singapore and refusing to comply with the investigation.
Legal experts said the amount of compensation is also too small, and the compensation proposal would not attract people to drop their compensation suits and settle with the plan.
The Supreme Court is working to increase the amount of compensation for victims suffering from damage up to 1.1 billion won.
“I will not apply for compensation,” Kim said. He is currently involved in a compensation suit against the company in the British court and said he will not drop the suit.
The humidifier disinfectant case is the worst biocide scandal in Korean history, killing mostly children and pregnant women who spent a lot of time indoors.