Reckitt Benckiser boss slapped during public apology

The boss of a South Korean business has been slapped while publicly apologising to victims for selling a disinfectant which killed dozens of people.

Ata Safdar, head of Reckitt Benckiser Korea and Japan, bowed 13 times to victims in a ritual apology at a Seoul hotel yesterday.

Mr Safdar admitted the company used disinfectants in its humidifiers which were found to be harmful to lungs.

One victim present was a 13-year-old boy who now uses an oxygen tank to breathe.

The sterilisers were banned in South Korea in 2011.

"We were late, five years have passed, we are also apologising far too late. This is what we are apologising about," Mr Safdar told the press conference.

As he spoke, a man stepped on to the stage shouting expletives and slapped him on the back of the neck.

"This is heartbreaking," Mr Safdar said, as he asked to be allowed to continue.

"I apologise again. I would request that I am allowed to finish my statement, please."

Another man who mounted the stage shouted: "It’s too late."

Authorities believe 92 deaths in South Korea were directly caused by inhaling the chemicals in the steriliser.

Reckitt Benckiser is the British-based conglomerate behind a number of household products, including Dettol, Nurofen, Durex and Clearasil.

The company was fined $1.7 million last week for misleading Australian customers.

The Federal Court ruled that products marketed as targeting specific pains, such as migraines, were actually identical.