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South Korea zinc firm Young Poong's CEO arrested over probe into safety lapses

The CEO of South Korea's Young Poong Corp has actually been jailed, the business said on Thursday, as prosecutors examined his liability over safetyrelated deaths at the business's Seokpo zinc smelter.

A South Korean court authorized early Thursday an arrest warrant for CEO Park Young Min after prosecutors declared he violated a South Korean law that holds companies criminally liable for serious industrial accidents.

Young Poong said Park's arrest caused no significant disturbance to management or production.

It had actually already cut production at Seokpo, the world's. sixth-largest zinc smelter considering that March, Reuters reported.

Park has yet to be officially charged. The Daegu District. Court's Andong Branch said it authorized the warrant for Park due. to flight danger and prospective damage of evidence.

He has actually rejected some of the claims, local media stated. A. representative for Park might not be reached.

Three lethal incidents consisting of gas direct exposure and heatstroke. have actually occurred at the Seokpo smelter in the last nine months,. killing three people and injuring three, Yonhap news company. reported, citing prosecutors.

The zinc market is closely enjoying the fate of the 400,000. metric ton-per-year Seokpo smelter.

Young Poong remains in the process of appealing against an. earlier decision by regional authorities to close the plant for. 2 months for alleged environmental violations, according to. the business's August regulatory filing.

Huge production cuts or a complete shutdown of Seokpo could. tip the marketplace into deficit- as zinc surplus for 2024 has. narrowed to just 19,000 loads, a July poll revealed.

That compares to a 300,000 heaps surplus anticipated at the. beginning of the year. Lack of zinc concentrates, crushed. ores used in making zinc, forced smelters to cut production.

(source: Reuters)