Anchor: Cleaning product manufacturer Oxy Reckitt Benckiser held a news conference on Monday, extending an apology over its deadly humidifier sterilizer. Amid fierce protests by victims and the remaining families, the head of the company said that the firm will provide comprehensive compensation.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.
 
Report: Oxy Reckitt Benckiser(RB) issued an official apology over its deadly humidifier sterilizer.

RB Korea chief Ata Safdar held the first official news conference on the matter since the case made headlines in 2011.

Safdar said that he offers a heartfelt and sincere apology to all victims and their families who have suffered lung damage as a result of the humidifier sanitizer issue.

According to the South Korean government's estimates last year, over 220 people are classified as class one or two victims with likely causal ties between their lung problems and Oxy or other manufacturers' humidifier sterilizers. Of them 95 have died. Among 530 people investigated, 80 percent said they used the Oxy RB Korea product.

The company chief said that Oxy RB accepts responsibility for the role it has played and the delay in providing an adequate remedy.
 
Safdar added that his firm will provide a comprehensive remedy to those impacted by providing a compensation plan, which will focus on class one and two victims of the Oxy sterilizers. He also proposed to make a ten-billion won, or eight-point-eight million U.S. dollar humanitarian fund available to provide assistance to other victims who have suffered as a result of using the product.

The remarks come five days after Oxy RB CEO, Shin Hyun-woo, was summoned by prosecutors for questioning.

The victims, on their part, denounced the news conference, saying it was a unilateral event held without prior consultation. Some family members of the victims expressed their anger and frustration at the venue, which also led to a brief suspension of the conference.
 
The victims also proceeded with pressing charges against the head of the RB headquarters in Britain. It was made known that they decided to move up the date for filing a class action lawsuit against Oxy and other producers of humidifier disinfectants to May 16th, or around 15 days earlier than planned.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.