The CEO of Hankook Steel, who received the first prison sentence under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, pleaded for leniency at the first appellate trial held on the 12th at the Changwon branch of the Busan High Court in Gyeongnam.
According to the court, CEO A was indicted on charges of failing to fulfill safety obligations related to the death of B, a man in his 60s from a subcontractor, who was crushed by a 1.2-ton heat shield while operating a crane at Hankook Steel in Haman, Gyeongnam, on March 16 last year.
At the first trial sentencing hearing held on April 26 at the Masan branch of Changwon District Court, A was sentenced to one year in prison and was taken into custody. Hankook Steel as a corporation was fined 100 million won, and the subcontractor’s CEO was sentenced to six months in prison with a two-year probation.
Displeased with the verdict, A’s side filed an appeal on April 27.
At the first appellate trial, A’s defense attorney cited other first trial rulings related to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, arguing that “the sentence is much heavier than in other cases.”
“After the first trial sentencing, we commissioned safety consulting from an external agency and have increased both safety personnel and budget, making efforts to improve safety,” the defense said, requesting a suspended sentence for A and a reduced fine for Hankook Steel as a corporation.
They argued the sentencing was unfair, stating, “In rulings 1 and 3, the defendants had more legal violations than A but received suspended sentences. All defendants in cases 1 to 3 admitted the charges and reached settlements with the bereaved families, yet only the defendant in this case was given a prison sentence.”
The Onyu Partners case, known as the first ruling under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, resulted in a sentence of one year and six months in prison with a three-year suspension for the CEO, and a fine of 30 million won for the corporation.
In the third ruling, the Synergy Construction case, the CEO was sentenced to one year in prison with a three-year suspension, and the corporation was fined 50 million won.
At the first trial, the court stated, “Industrial accidents frequently occurred at Hankook Steel, and even after the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, safety responsibilities were not fulfilled, leading to this incident. This reveals structural problems threatening workers’ safety, making strict punishment inevitable.”
At the appellate trial, the prosecutor demanded a two-year prison sentence for A and a fine of 150 million won for Hankook Steel.
A’s side requested bail last week, but the court did not grant it.
The appellate sentencing for A is scheduled for 2 p.m. on August 23.
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