The head of Britain-based consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser(RB) has formally apologized over its South Korean branch’s toxic humidifier sterilizers that claimed many lives.

Rakesh Kapoor, chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser, delivered the apology in a meeting with seven relatives of the sterilizer victims and South Korea’s special parliamentary committee investigating the scandal at the group’s U.K. head office on Wednesday.
 
Kapoor said that as the global CEO of the group, he sincerely apologizes for the injuries and deaths of Korean consumers, which were caused by disinfectants of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, now known as RB Korea. 
 
He also offered his “deepest” sympathy for the pain and irreparable damage suffered by many families. He then held a separate meeting with the visiting committee and victims’ family members, acknowledging the British headquarters’ responsibility for failing to prevent the tragedy from happening.
 
Kang Chan-ho, head of the disinfectant victims’ organization, demanded that reasonable compensation measures be devised in an open manner, calling Kapoor’s apology just a starting point.
 
In Wednesday’s meeting, however, RB repeated its stance on compensation principles, which have been rejected by some victims.