Park Soon-kwan, the CEO of AriCell, has had his prison sentence reduced from 15 years to 4 years in connection with the fire disaster that claimed the lives of 23 workers. The appellate court's decision, which took into account the acquittal on some charges and a settlement with the victims' families, has been upheld.
On October 20, the Supreme Court's first division, led by Justice Cheon Dae-yeop, dismissed appeals from both Park and the prosecution regarding violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. Park's son, Park Jung-eon, who serves as the general manager, received a 7-year prison sentence and a fine of 1 million won, while the AriCell corporation was fined 800 million won.
The tragedy occurred on June 24, 2024, at the AriCell factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, when a lithium battery exploded, resulting in 23 fatalities and 9 injuries.
Park was charged with failing to fulfill safety obligations, including the identification and improvement of hazardous factors and the establishment of disaster response manuals.
Initially, both Park and his son were sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, the appellate court narrowed the scope of guilt by not recognizing violations related to the maintenance of emergency exits and corridors.
The appellate court found that there was an emergency exit on the first floor, negating the obligation to install one on the second floor, and determined that there was a clear path to the emergency exit without obstacles, thus ruling that there was no violation of maintenance obligations. It also noted the lack of clear legal grounds for defining the concept and installation standards of emergency corridors.
Nevertheless, the court acknowledged that Park's failure to establish procedures for identifying and improving hazardous factors, as well as lacking a disaster prevention budget and response manual, contributed to the negligence of on-site personnel and the resulting fatalities.
The appellate court also considered the fact that Park had compensated all victims' families and reached settlements as a mitigating factor in sentencing. It was cautious in reflecting the circumstances of some families requesting leniency after the settlements.
The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's findings on guilt and innocence while clarifying the scope of responsibility for management officials. It stated that even if a safety and health officer is appointed, the ultimate responsibility for safety and health obligations remains with the representative in areas such as organizational structure and budget allocation.
The Supreme Court emphasized that if violations by both parties contributed to the major disaster, "both the general manager and the safety and health officer bear responsibility as management officials under the Serious Accident Punishment Act."
This is the first time such criteria for assigning responsibility have been established. In the case of AriCell, the court determined that Park Jung-eon did not qualify as the safety and health officer as defined by law, thus placing the full responsibility for management obligations on Park Soon-kwan.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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