Suspected gas leak at Samsung factory kills 1

One person was killed and two others were injured due to an apparent carbon dioxide leak in Samsung Electronics semiconductor facility in Giheung, Gyeonggi.

The accident occurred at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday in the basement area below the 6-3 production line at the Giheung plant where fire extinguishing equipment is stored. The three workers, employed by Samsung contractor Chang Sung Ace, a fire detection system developer, were found unconscious. They were exposed to carbon dioxide gas stored at the facility for fire-extinguishing purposes.

A 24-year-old worker surnamed Lee was later pronounced dead while a 26-year-old surnamed Joo and a 54-year-old surnamed Kim remain unconscious in hospital as of press time.

Police and firefighters are looking into the exact cause of the accident.

Samsung Electronics expressed condolences and vowed to cooperate with a probe into the case. The gas may have leaked while the workers were inspecting the firefighting system, according to media reports.

This is not the first time workers have been killed at a Samsung manufacturing site. In March 2014, a 52-year-old Samsung contractor was killed after being exposed to carbon dioxide at a Samsung Electronics R&D facility in Suwon, Gyeonggi. A malfunction in the fire extinguishing system turned out to be the cause.

In January 2013, 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of hydrofluoric acid leaked in a chip plant in Suwon, killing one worker and injuring four. Samsung received a $1,000 fine after the incident.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]