DN Automotive is facing allegations of administering chelation injections, purportedly to promote lead elimination from workers' bodies, while misleading them by labeling the treatment as a vitamin injection. This controversy has led to a significant drop in the company's stock price, as concerns grow over potential cover-ups regarding workers' exposure to hazardous substances.
As of 2:20 PM on October 12, DN Automotive's shares had fallen by 8,750 won (17.78%) to 40,450 won, according to the Korea Exchange.
The stock decline is linked to a health examination controversy at the company's Ulsan plant. DN Automotive manufactures lead-acid batteries for vehicles, making the management of lead exposure risks critical.
The core of the controversy revolves around the chelation injections administered to workers. Chelation therapy is a treatment designed to facilitate the removal of accumulated heavy metals from the body. Allegations have emerged that DN Automotive misled workers by describing these injections as vitamin shots.
The situation has escalated, particularly because the injections were reportedly given just before special health examinations for workers. This raises suspicions that the company aimed to lower blood lead levels to manipulate health examination results.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it has referred DN Automotive to the police for investigation on charges of obstructing work. The ministry believes that administering chelation injections just before health assessments interfered with government measures to protect worker health. The Ulsan police are currently investigating the case.
Earlier, the Ulsan branch of the labor ministry conducted a thorough inspection of DN Automotive's Ulsan plants in April, uncovering 88 violations related to industrial safety and health. Of these, 68 cases are undergoing criminal proceedings, while fines totaling 46.2 million won were imposed for the remaining 20 violations. Some production lines were found to exceed lead exposure limits, leading to orders to halt operations.
The labor ministry also plans to conduct a collective epidemiological study involving all current and former workers at DN Automotive. Additionally, it has initiated planned inspections of 14 other battery manufacturing facilities.
However, the company maintains that it never described the chelation injections as vitamin shots and asserts that workers chose their treatments voluntarily based on medical advice.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations surrounding DN Automotive's administration of chelation injections. During a briefing, Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong stated that the president received updates on the labor ministry's actions and future plans regarding the media reports and subsequently issued the directive.
President Lee emphasized that it is a serious violation of human rights for a company, responsible for protecting workers' lives and health, to administer injections while concealing the risks of side effects and covering up exposure to hazardous substances. He instructed the labor ministry and investigative agencies to thoroughly examine the extent of hazardous substance exposure, the circumstances surrounding the injections, and whether health examination results were concealed, and to take strict legal action if any violations are found. He also urged vigilance against similar incidents in other workplaces to ensure the protection of workers' health and rights.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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