Samsung (005930) was accused of covering up a gas leak last month that left one contract worker dead and four others injured. The company initially claimed to have the situation under control, however police have discovered that as much as 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid may have leaked into the environment endangering thousands of people who live and work in the area. The incident occurred on January 28th when one of the pipes leaked at Samsung’s main semiconductor factory in Hwaseong, a city located roughly 40 miles south of Seoul.
“Hydrofluoric acid has been leaked outside of the chip plant after an analysis of CCTV footage taken inside the Central Chemical Supply System (CCSS) of the chip plant,” Song Byung-sun of the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency said, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
Police are now investigating whether Samsung violated the law, and the Ministry of Environment and the provincial government of Gyeongg have also launched a special probe into the incident.
It is still unclear if the tens of thousands of residents living near the Hwaseong plant have been affected by the incident.
