'Bottled Water Incident' Poisonous Substance Confirmed... Also Found at Suspect's Residence

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] It has been confirmed that the National Forensic Service (NFS) detected a poison suspected to have been added to the bottled water in an incident where two employees lost consciousness after drinking water from bottled water at a company office in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

According to the police on the 21st, the NFS notified the police that it found sodium azide in the beverage container after analyzing it in relation to another employee who collapsed after drinking a carbonated drink at the same company two weeks before the incident.

Sodium azide is known as one of the components of pesticides and herbicides, and ingestion can cause vomiting and brain damage.

The police also reported that they secured a container with the same substance at the home of employee A, who was found dead after an unauthorized absence on the 19th of this month. Other toxic chemicals such as methanol and sodium hydroxide were also found at his home.

Furthermore, the NFS reportedly gave a preliminary verbal opinion after autopsy of A’s body that the cause of death was drug poisoning.

Meanwhile, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul filed charges against A for special injury on the same day.

Although prosecution usually ends with no charges if the suspect is already deceased, it appears that the case was filed to clarify the facts of the incident.

On the afternoon of the 18th, two male and female employees at a company in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, collapsed after drinking water from a bottled water bottle placed on the office desk. The female employee was discharged from the hospital, but the male employee is still reported to be unconscious.

A was absent without leave the day after the incident and was found dead at home.

The police are conducting a witness investigation of the female employee who regained consciousness, while requesting a detailed examination from the NFS on the bottled water and the suspected poison substances. Forensic work is also underway on A’s mobile phone, which is known to have search records related to poison.

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