Samsung has apologized for a hydrofluoric acid leak at its semiconductor plant that left one worker dead and four others injured. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung vice-chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said in a statement that the company will "fundamentally change" its environmental safety system and investigate its processes to make sure such an accident doesn't happen again. Furthermore, as reported by Yonhap News, Samsung will be withdrawing its application to have the plant in Hwaseong, Korea where the accident occurred certified as "green"; the application will be withdrawn for the next five years. The late January accident has had its fair share of controversy — Samsung was initially investigated for covering up the incident, and Korean police later refuted Samsung's claim that the leak was contained to Samsung's facilities.

A spokesperson for Samsung gave the following statement to The Wall Street Journal regarding the incident:

We’ve always taken great pride in the high standards we set for our operations and the safety measures we have in place. In keeping with our commitment to operating high-quality facilities, we are committed to continually making enhancements to our protocols to ensure we are protecting the safety and well-being of our employees, partners and the local community.