The Suwon High Court delivered the far more lenient sentence to Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who was indicted on several charges including violations of occupational safety and health-related laws and work-related negligence resulting in death or injury among others.
His initial 15-year sentence was the heaviest since the enactment of relevant laws in 2022, which allow for the punishment of company owners or CEOs with at least one year in prison or fines of up to 1 billion won (about US$7000,000) for fatal industrial accidents.
The reduced ruling at the appellate court comes about two years after the fire at the plant killed 23 workers, including 18 foreigners and injured eight others in June 2024.
Separately, the court sentenced Park's son, who served as the de facto head of the company, to seven years in prison and a 1 million won fine, which was also lower than the 15-year prison sentence handed down in the first trial.
Prosecutors had earlier sought 20 years and 15 years in prison against Park and his son, arguing that the accident was a disaster waiting to happen as the company failed to provide proper evacuation routes, making it difficult for its workers to escape the blaze.
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