Eyewitnesses claim high-level Hungarian government ties shielded irregular South Korean battery plant bosses

It beggars belief otherwise that executives at the Samsung battery plant in Göd knew of impending inspections in advance and were able to prepare accordingly. According to these witnesses, such elevated connections enabled a cover-up of serial regulatory breaches at the plant, which daily endangered the physical safety of numerous workers under management’s watch.

Toxic, carcinogenic materials at the Samsung battery plant in Göd

Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, released two videos on Thursday and Friday featuring former employees of the Göd Samsung facility, who detailed the site’s inner workings. Drawing on Telex’s investigative reporting—which we ourselves covered—the factory was poorly designed from the outset, its air filtration system woefully inadequate for trapping the toxic, carcinogenic fumes released during battery production. Moreover, the company’s leadership consciously withheld investment in upgrades, deeming low-level fines a cheaper alternative. Telex hinted even then at the improbability of such conduct without high-level governmental backing.

Mr Magyar’s interviewees lend credence to this. A lorry driver tasked with transporting hazardous materials between 2019 and 2022 claimed the battery plant’s bosses were tipped off about checks, prompting them to shift vast quantities of dangerous substances to unsuitable storage warehouses on other sites ahead of time. Foreknowledge of this sort implies an inside informant.

Somebody protected them

Another worker, speaking anonymously, alleged that management offered no protection whatsoever against the hazards, a fact known to staff on the ground. Nor did they spare the environment: Attila, as he is known, believes perilous substances may have leaked from the premises.

Attila recounted how authorities initially conducted regular inspections, only for these to cease after someone higher up ordered them halted. In his view, multiple explosions rocked the facility due to shoddy design and operation. The former employee attributes Samsung SDI’s impunity squarely to external political influence, which signalled that no regulatory pressure would be brought to bear.

FM Szijjártó backs the company

In our previous article we reported that, after a string of fines, the secret service opened an inquiry into the plant and found that management refused to tell the truth to government officials. At a government meeting on the issue, Minister Antal Robán urged the plant’s closure, while Foreign Minister Szijjártó defended it.

After the details surfaced, PM Orbán called the entire Samsung SDI-story fake news.

Even so, Gergely Gulyás, minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, said yesterday that police had opened an investigation into claims made by an eyewitness in a video posted by Péter Magyar.

If you missed our article:

• Telex: Samsung poisoned its Göd plant workers for years with the Orbán cabinet’s help
• “Not sacrificable”: Civilians protest Samsung battery plant pollution in Budapest

Featured image: The VP of Samsung SDI Göd plant, Hyun Jung, and Zoltán Kammerer, the Fidesz-backed mayor of Göd inaugurating a playground donated by the South Korean company. Photo: FB/Zoltán Kammerer