Prosecutors Indict and Detain 3 Including Ansan Kindergarten Director Over 'Mass Food Poisoning'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Ansan Branch's Violent and Health Crime Task Force (Chief Prosecutor An Dong-wan) announced on the 3rd that three individuals, including the director, nutritionist, and cook of a private kindergarten in Ansan where a mass food poisoning incident occurred in June, have been arrested and indicted on charges of causing food poisoning and obstructing an epidemiological investigation.

One kindergarten teacher and three others, including a food supplier and a meat supplier, were also indicted without detention on charges of obstructing the epidemiological investigation.

The three arrested and indicted, including the director, neglected hygiene management and provided meals contaminated with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, causing the children to suffer from food poisoning.

Even after the incident, they are accused of obstructing the investigation by submitting newly prepared or preserved meals made on different dates to the officials conducting the epidemiological investigation.

It was additionally revealed that the director violated the Food Sanitation Act by entrusting meal preparation to a cooking assistant without employing a cook from January to April this year, prior to the food poisoning incident.

The suppliers indicted without detention are accused of submitting false transaction statements and slaughter inspection certificates with incorrect delivery dates during the health authorities' epidemiological investigation.

The prosecution could not identify which food caused the food poisoning due to deliberate obstruction of the epidemiological investigation, such as discarding preserved meals, but presumed that the cause of the food poisoning was the meals provided by the kindergarten.

At the kindergarten, after the first food poisoning patient appeared on June 12 this year, about 100 children and their families showed symptoms suspected of food poisoning.

Among them, 15 were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (commonly known as hamburger disease), a complication, and even received dialysis treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.