ANKARA 

A South Korean court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for the chief executive of lithium battery maker Aricell in connection with a deadly fire that claimed 23 lives, local media reported.

This is the first instance of a company head being arrested under the country’s Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which was enacted in 2022, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.

The law stipulates that the owner or head of a company can face at least one year in prison or fines of up to 1 billion won ($747,372) for industrial accidents.

In June of this year, a fire at Aricell's plant in Hwaseong, near the capital Seoul, killed at least 23 people, including 18 Chinese nationals, and injured several others.

Investigators found that the deadly blaze may have been caused by the use of unskilled workers in the manufacturing process, according to reports.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid