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SKOREA-AUTOMOBILE-TRANSPORT-BMW
S. Korea police raid BMW office over car fires
SEOUL, Aug 30, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – South Korean police raided German carmaker
BMW’s Seoul headquarters Thursday in connection with dozens of engine fires.
An official at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s white collar crime
unit said officers were investigating whether the company covered up vehicle
defects and had confiscated documents and other materials.
He declined to give further details but Yonhap news agency said a team of
30 investigators were involved. There was no immediate comment from BMW
Korea.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to reveal the truth,” Yonhap
quoted a police official as saying.
The move came after reports more than 40 BMW vehicles have burst into
flames so far this year, with some parking lots refusing to accept the cars
because of fears they could catch fire.
South Korea this month temporarily banned from the streets BMW cars that
had not yet passed safety checks and dozens of BMW owners filed complaints
seeking a criminal investigation into the firm, its local unit and their nine
top officials.
BMW Korea last month started recalling 106,000 vehicles with an exhaust gas
recirculation module, which it says caused the recent fires. The recall
applies to 42 models, all with diesel engines.
The company is facing a series of legal actions over the issue in the
country, and has said the problem was “not Korea specific”.
In South Korea, six out of 10 imported cars are from Germany, with BMW
selling nearly 39,000 in the first six months of this year, according to the
Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1212 hrs