RB는 홈페이지 미디어(Media) 메뉴의 ‘최신뉴스’를 통해 한국에서 살균제로 문제가 발생했다는 점을 지적하며 수사에 협조하겠다고 밝혔다. 또 자신들이 사태가 발생한 뒤 진심어린 사과를 표명했으며, 희생자들과 유족들을 위해 응당히 해야 할 일을 하겠다는 뜻도 밝혔다고 주장했다. 또 보상을 위한 펀드 조성 사실도 거론했다. 그러면서 상처를 다 치유하기 어렵다는 점도 알지만 사태 해결을 위해 할 수 있는 것들을 다 하겠으며, 향후 수사에도 적극 협조하겠다고 덧붙였다.
이런 내용은 옥시코리아 대표가 최근 서울 여의도 콘래드호텔에서 기자회견을 통해 발표한 내용과 거의 비슷하고 그 외 더 진전된 내용은 없다는 평가가 나온다. 아래는 홈페이지 게재된 내용 전문.
Oxy launched a Humidifier Sterilizer (HS) product in Korea in 1996. It was one of a number of manufacturers of HS products. In 2001 RB acquired Oxy to become Oxy RB. In 2011 the Korean Centre for Disease Control (KCDC) suggested a link between the HS product and lung injury at which point Oxy RB immediately and voluntarily withdrew the product from the market. Oxy RB have since participated in all investigations to fully understand the issue and bring resolution to the victims and their families.
Oxy RB and RB have expressed our sincere apologies to all those victims of the HS tragedy in Korea and stated absolutely our determination to do the right thing for the victims and their families.
We have accepted full responsibility for the role that this product played in these health issues, including deaths, in Korea and while we acknowledge that we cannot repair the harm that has been done, we have stated our continuing intention to do whatever we can to provide full resolution to these cases.
We have announced today our intention to establish a Compensation Fund for those directly impacted, to be administered by independent experts, and a Humanitarian Fund for all others who believe they have been affected by the HS issue. RB continues to assist and support investigations into this issue.
RB has made improvements to its safety teams and has introduced new processes which will signal any potential issue as soon as possible, so corrective action can be taken. We want to reassure consumers we have taken significant steps to ensure the safety of our products and to avoid any possibility of recurrence.
손병호 기자 bhson@kmib.co.kr