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No settlement reached between Oxy and humidifier victims who fall outside damage grading

Published: 11 Dec. 2025, 14:45

Victims of a humidifier disinfectant scandal hold a press conference in central Seoul marking the 14th anniversary of the case on Aug. 28. [YONHAP]

The industry ministry said Thursday it has officially ended mediation between Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and the victims of the long-running toxic humidifier disinfectant scandal, as the two sides failed to reach a settlement in an appeal case.

The decision was announced at a meeting of the National Contact Point (NCP) for Responsible Business Conduct, a government organization under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources designed to implement Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines for multinational enterprises, according to ministry officials.

The NCP has made three attempts to help Oxy and its victims reach a settlement after two individual consumers of Oxy called on the company in October last year to devise additional and substantive relief measures for many of the victims whose injuries could not be classified under the official damage grading system in the case.

The humidifier disinfectant scandal is one of Korea's worst consumer goods disasters. Oxy, a Korean subsidiary of Britain-based Reckitt Benckiser, was one of the companies blamed for selling products that led to deaths and illnesses of consumers.

In 2011, consumers started to report deaths and illnesses allegedly tied to humidifier disinfectants, widely used in households in the dry winters. A government-led investigation later confirmed the link between the two.

As of 2023, state-backed compensation related to toxic humidifier disinfectants was approved for 5,691 individuals, including 1,262 victims who are dead.

Oxy claimed it cannot provide any additional compensation for such victims as it had already completed compensation and settlements for recognized victims and had paid its contributions to the government-managed relief fund, the ministry said.

Minster of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-whan speaks to victims of a humidifier disinfectant scandal at a venue in Jung District, central Seoul on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

But the NCP issued a statement calling on Oxy to continue improving and reviewing its internal policies to meet consumer health and safety standards set out in the OECD guidelines, and actively participate in the fundamental problem-solving process led by the environment ministry regarding relief for humidifier cleaner victims.

It also recommended the company to strengthen communication with victims whose injuries fall outside the grading system and make efforts to provide substantive remedies to the victims, while urging Oxy to communicate with its headquarters in Britain to implement such measures and submit a report on the progress a year later, the ministry added.

The statement also pointed out that Oxy had lacked efforts to verify the safety of its products and sold them with false claims of safety.

The NCP has been established in 52 countries, and in Korea, it was set up under the industry ministry in 2001.

Yonhap