Burger Investigation

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Prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for three executives of a firm that supplied hamburger patties to McDonald's Korea. The patties were allegedly contaminated with E.coli bacteria. Now a court will decide whether or not the contaminated patties were actually behind the food poisoning case that has been called "hamburger disease.”

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Prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants against three executives of a firm that supplied hamburger patties to McDonald's Korea. The three include the managing director, factory chief and quality control manager of the firm in question. They are being charged with supplying hamburger patties that were contaminated with E. coli O-157, which causes hemolytic uremic syndrome. The prosecutors presume that the company failed to conduct proper hygiene inspections to ensure the safety of its products. In October, the prosecutors raided the headquarters of McDonald's Korea and hamburger patty suppliers. They have been investigating whether or not the patties that are believed to have caused the "hamburger disease" were distributed in line with hygiene standards. McDonald's Korea has declined to provide details.

[Soundbite] (McDonald's Korea staff(Voice modified)) : "We cannot tell anything yet, as we need to discuss this with McDonald's main office in the U.S.'

The investigation began in early July after the parents of a five-year-old girl sued McDonald's Korea for selling undercooked hamburger patties that caused a renal failure in their daughter. Four more children contracted the disease later. Their parents also filed a lawsuit against McDonald's Korea.