SEOUL, Nov 9 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korean top court, today, ordered a humidifier sanitiser manufacturer and a supplier, to pay compensation to a victim of the chemical product.
The Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s ruling that ordered Oxy Reckitt Benckiser Korea and Hanvit Chemical, to pay five million won (3,820 U.S. dollars) to the plaintiff, surnamed Kim.
Between Nov, 2007, and Apr, 2011, Kim used a humidifier disinfectant, produced and sold by Oxy and supplied by Hanvit, before being diagnosed with interstitial lung disease in May, 2013.
The victim filed a damages suit against Oxy and Hanvit in Feb, 2015.
A district court dismissed the case, but the appellate court ordered the maker and the supplier to pay compensation in Sept, 2019, a ruling confirmed by the top court earlier in the day.
The humidifier sanitiser disaster dated back to 2011, when users reported deaths and illnesses allegedly tied to the chemical product.
The number of victims reportedly stood at 5,041 in July, 2023. A special law for the victims was passed through parliament in 2017.– NNN-YONHAP
