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Kim Deok-jong

Kim Deok-jong, 40, spoke as a father. Seven year ago, his son died as a result of a condition caused by the use of humidifier disinfectant. “We’re going to the UK expecting it to be the end of things. We’re going to let the British public know what their respected corporation is doing, and we’re going to get a formal apology.”

On the morning of May 4, he left for the United Kingdom, where the head offices of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser are located.

Speaking at a press conference at Incheon International Airport, Kim and Asian Citizens’ Center for Environmental Health director Choi Ye-yong said they planned to “visit the companies in the UK and Denmark responsible for making and selling humidifier disinfectant to protest and raise the issue with the local governments and prosecutors.” During the press conference, Kim wore a yellow vest reading “Save my child!”

Kim, an emergency responder at the local fire station in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, lost his five-year-old son Seung-joon on May 7, 2009. The cause was a “lung ailment of unidentified cause.” Two years later, the South Korean government identified humidifier disinfectant as the cause of diseases in women who just gave birth who had also died of seemingly inexplicable lung conditions. In 2014, Seung-joon’s death was similarly determined to have resulted from disinfectant exposure.

Kim’s visit to the UK is his second. In May 2015, he staged a protest alongside Choi in front of the Reckitt Benckiser offices.

“We were ignored at first. It wasn’t until the third day that we were able to meet with employees there,” Kim said.

Once he arrives, Kim’s first stop will be in London on May 5 for Reckitt Benckiser’s annual general shareholder meeting. He rushed to take leave after learning belatedly last week that the meeting was to be held. His aim is to inform the shareholders of the damages caused by the disinfectant in South Korea and of the role of current and former directors at Oxy and current directors in Britain in the deaths of 103 people, and to demand that the company take responsibility.

Ata Safdar, head of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser Korea, made an apology at a May 2 press conference in Seoul.

The same day, Reckitt Benckiser posted a similarly worded apology on its webpage.

“Oxy RB and RB have expressed our sincere apologies to all those victims of the HS [humidifier sterilizer] tragedy in Korea and stated absolutely our determination to do the right thing for the victims and their families,” the statement read.

But Kim was dismissive of the press conference statement and posted apology from Reckitt Benckiser.

“We know that ‘apology’ is just superficial,” he said.

“I have no intention of accepting it,” he added.

son died as a result of a condition caused by the use of humidifier disinfectant

By Park Su-ji, staff reporter

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