Park Soon-kwan, the CEO of Arisel, has received a confirmed four-year prison sentence related to the fire at the Arisel factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in the deaths of 23 workers.
On October 20, the Supreme Court's first division, led by Justice Cheon Dae-yeop, upheld the lower court's ruling that sentenced Park to four years in prison for violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. The Supreme Court agreed with the lower court's finding that there was insufficient evidence to support charges related to the maintenance and management of emergency exits and pathways, leading to some acquittals.
The Arisel fire occurred on June 24, 2024, at the company's facility in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong, resulting in 23 fatalities and nine injuries.
Investigations revealed that the fire was primarily caused by defective products produced under pressure to meet deadlines for military supply lithium batteries.
Furthermore, it was found that Arisel had illegally dispatched 53 unskilled foreign workers to the site without providing essential safety training and failed to establish even minimal evacuation routes.
Due to these management failures, Park was charged with neglecting his responsibilities as a business leader to ensure safety and health, including inadequate inspections of hazardous elements and failure to implement a proper emergency response manual.
In the initial trial, Park was classified as a liable business leader under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, with all charges confirmed, resulting in a 15-year sentence. His son, Park Jung-eon, who served as the general manager, was also sentenced to 15 years for violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. This marked the highest sentence imposed by a court since the Serious Accident Punishment Act was fully enacted in 2022.
However, in the second trial, while recognizing Park as a liable business leader, the court significantly reduced his sentence to four years. Park Jung-eon also received a reduced sentence of seven years.
The second trial overturned the initial ruling regarding Park's obligation to install emergency exits and found no violation of the maintenance duty. It also identified errors in the first trial's limited consideration of settlements with the victims' families in sentencing.
The Supreme Court dismissed appeals from both the defendants and the prosecution, stating there were no legal misunderstandings in the lower court's judgment.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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