According to Yonhap News, on October 20th, the South Korean Supreme Court issued a final judgment in the case involving the fire at the ARICELL battery factory that resulted in the death of 23 people. The original judgment was upheld, and Park Chun-gun, the actual person in charge of the company, was sentenced to 4 years in prison. The judgment took immediate legal effect.
Park Chun-gun Profile Photo by Yonhap News Agency
On June 24, 2024, a major fire accident occurred at the ARICELL battery factory in Hwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, resulting in 23 deaths and 9 injuries. According to the South Korean police, 5 of the victims were South Koreans, 17 were Chinese, and 1 was from Laos.
Fire scene by Yonhap News Agency
In September of the same year, Park Chun-gun was arrested and prosecuted for failing to inspect harmful and dangerous factors, and for not developing major disaster emergency guidelines.
The first-instance court determined that Park Chun-gun was the ‘operating manager’ who was subject to penalties under the ‘Major Disaster Penalties Act’, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. This is the highest sentence imposed by a court since the enactment of this law in 2022.
The second-instance court also determined that Park Chun-gun was the person in charge of operations, but reduced the sentence significantly, sentencing him to 4 years in prison.
On the 20th, the South Korean Supreme Court upheld the second-instance judgment, sentencing Park Chun-gun to four years in prison.
