The manager of a South Korean battery maker has been arrested over a deadly fire

The chief executive of Aricell, a South Korean lithium battery company, has been arrested for a massive factory fire in June that killed 23 people and injured nine others.

The court approved an arrest warrant for Park Soon-kwan on Wednesday.

Investigators said Aricell executives were accused of violating workplace safety. The fire was one of South Korea’s worst industrial disasters in recent years.

Aricells’ parent company, S-Connect, did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

After the fire, Mr. Park issued an apology: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and would like to express our condolences and apologies to the families who lost.”

“We take great responsibility and will support the deceased and their families in every way,” he added.

His arrest comes after a police investigation found that the firm was rushing to meet production deadlines.

Investigators said there are many factors affecting the safety of the facility, including failure to address battery issues and the employment of workers who do not have the skills to handle hazardous materials.

It was also alleged that Aricell was cheating on quality tests related to contracts with the military.

I the fire broke out on June 24 after several battery cells exploded.

At the time of the fire, the Aricell factory housed approximately 35,000 batteries on the second floor, where the batteries were tested and assembled.

Since lithium fires are highly reactive with water, firefighters had to use dry sand to extinguish the fire, which took several hours to bring under control.

The victims were foreign workers, from countries including China and Laos.

South Korea is a leading producer of lithium batteries, which are used in everything from electric cars to laptops.