The Supreme Court has confirmed that the source of an oil spill into the Gokgyocheon River in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, was Hyundai Motor Company's Asan plant.
According to legal sources on November 6, the Supreme Court's second division, led by Justice Oh Kyung-mi, upheld a lower court's ruling that found Hyundai employees and the company guilty of violating the Water Environment Conservation Act.
The court stated, "The defendants failed to properly manage and operate the oil-water separator, resulting in oil being discharged from the factory into public waters on two occasions, and there was no justifiable reason for this discharge," and dismissed the appeal.
As a result, a Hyundai employee was fined 2 million won (approximately $1,500), while the company was fined 5 million won (approximately $3,750).
On January 17 and February 28, 2018, significant oil slicks were reported in the drainage system connected to the Hyundai plant, which flowed into the Gokgyocheon River and downstream into the Sapgyocheon River.
A detailed analysis by the National Forensic Service confirmed that the oil slick was similar to the cutting oil used at Hyundai's Asan plant.
The prosecution argued that the oil-water separation facility at the Asan plant was not functioning properly, failing to filter out the cutting oil and other oils discharged from the factory, which allowed some oil to escape into the river.
The prosecution determined that the head of the plant's safety and environmental team, identified as A, neglected maintenance tasks such as cleaning and inspecting the oil-water separator, leading to the oil spill. A and Hyundai Motor Company were charged with violating the Water Environment Conservation Act.
Hyundai contended that the spilled oil did not originate from its facility, but the court rejected this claim.
The first-instance court cited the forensic analysis, which matched the composition of the spilled oil with the cutting oil used at Hyundai's Asan plant, and noted that there were no other nearby factories using cutting oil as grounds for its guilty verdict.
Hyundai suggested that oil from a overturned agricultural vehicle near the drainage could have contaminated the soil and entered the waterway, but the court dismissed this argument due to a lack of supporting evidence.
The first-instance court pointed out that Hyundai had a legal and social responsibility to prevent environmental pollution from its operations but failed to adequately maintain the oil-water separation facilities.
It added, "Such incidents are not easily detected and can significantly impact the surrounding ecosystem and public health, making the culpability serious," and imposed a fine of 5 million won on the company.
Regarding the employee A, the court stated, "As a mere responsible employee without company-wide maintenance and management standards, it is not appropriate to impose the same level of responsibility on the individual," and imposed a fine of 2 million won.
Both Hyundai and employee A appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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