The appeal hearing for Jeong Do-won, chairman of Sangpyo Group, who was acquitted in the first trial related to a serious accident that occurred shortly after the implementation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, is set to begin next month.
According to legal sources on November 7, the Uijeongbu District Court will hold the first preparatory hearing for the appeal on December 16 at 4 p.m. This comes approximately 10 months after the not guilty verdict was issued in February.
In the initial ruling, Judge Lee Young-eun of the Uijeongbu District Court found on February 10 that there was insufficient evidence to classify Jeong as a management official under the Serious Accident Punishment Act.
Former Sangpyo Industries CEO Lee Jong-shin, who was also indicted, received a not guilty verdict. However, Sangpyo Industries was fined 100 million won for some violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The safety officer at Sangpyo Industries' headquarters received a suspended prison sentence, while three officials from the Yangju business site were also given suspended sentences.
The prosecution has appealed, arguing that the initial court's findings of fact and legal interpretation were flawed and that the sentencing was inadequate. They had previously sought a four-year prison term for Jeong, asserting that he was effectively the management official responsible for the group's overall operations and major decision-making.
This incident occurred on January 29, 2022, just two days after the Serious Accident Punishment Act took effect, when a landslide at the Sangpyo Industries' Yangju quarry resulted in the deaths of three workers who were buried under the debris. Jeong and others were charged with failing to fulfill their obligations to ensure safety and health to prevent the accident.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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