On 24 June 2024, in Hwaseong, South Korea, a lithium battery factory owned by Aricell caught on fire after several batteries exploded. The fire killed 23 workers and wounded eight more, mostly Chinese nationals. Aricell manufactures non-rechargeable. A 1986 study titled Safety Considerations of Lithium-Thionyl Chloride Cells noted that "safety hazards have ranged from mild. Seventeen Chinese workers, five South Koreans and one Laotian were among the dead; they were identified as seventeen women and six men. fire official Cho Sun-ho reported that most of the workers were temporary employees who likely were not. Government officials, including the Chinese ambassador to South Korea and South Korean President, came to the site later that day and expressed their condolences to the victims. Yoon also ordered a full investigation into the. Starting at 10:31 a.m. on 24 June 2024, a series of explosions occurred at a warehouse in a battery plant which contained over 35,000 batteries. The fire started at a workstation on the second floor. The batteries contained many flammable components. Three company officials are under investigation on suspicion of violating industrial safety laws. On 28 August, Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan was arrested after a warrant was issued against him over the disaster by a court in. His son, who is also an.