Another toxic chemical leak suspected at a Samsung semiconductor plant

Another toxic chemical leak has been suspected at a Samsung semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, South Korea.

According to Korean tech site DDaily, police are investigating the cause of the leak.

The initial report says five employees were taken to a local hospital following complaints about a smell they believed to be ammonia, with the staff displaying a range of symptoms including nausea.

The news comes just days after a fire broke out at a Samsung Electronics factory at Yongin, around 40 kilometres south of Seoul, according to Yonhap News.

The fire began above a production line used to manufacture semiconductors and took around 20 minutes to put out, with the Korean electronics giant hoping to return the factory to full production by next week.

In December, a South Korean court found Samsung was responsible for the death of a former employee – identified as “Kim” – who worked at the company’s plants between 1995 and 2000.

The woman died following a three-year battle with breast cancer earlier this year, with the court finding a causal connection between her exposure to organic solvents and radiation at the factory and her illness.