The first trial related to the Osong Underpass disaster in Cheongju, Chungbuk, which resulted in 25 casualties, was held on the 17th. It has been 186 days since the disaster occurred on July 15 last year.
On this day, the Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Jeong Woo-hyeok) held the first hearing for Site Manager A and Supervisory Team Leader B, who were detained and indicted on charges including professional negligence causing death or injury, related to the Mihocheon Bridge expansion construction site.
Site Manager A is accused of causing casualties by illegally demolishing the existing embankment for the convenience of road expansion construction, constructing a temporary embankment poorly, and failing to fulfill his duty of care by not notifying relevant agencies or ordering emergency duty despite residents' complaints about the embankment's danger on the day of the accident.
He is also charged with instructing employees to forge related documents such as construction plans to conceal the fact that the temporary embankment construction was carried out without following proper procedures.
On this day, A’s defense attorney stated, "We generally deny the charges," and argued, "The temporary embankment was built to a sufficient height, so it cannot be considered poorly constructed, and regarding negligence, we informed relevant agencies from the day before the accident that practical road control was necessary."
He added, "Regarding the forgery, since the principal offender who forged the evidence may not be punished, a legal review is needed to determine whether the charge against the instigator is valid."
On the other hand, Supervisory Team Leader B, who was also brought to trial, admitted all charges of failing to properly supervise the embankment construction. B was indicted for causing casualties by knowing that the construction company had poorly built the temporary embankment but condoning and neglecting it.
Their next trial is scheduled for the 14th of next month.
The Osong disaster occurred at around 8:40 a.m. on July 15 last year at the Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju City, when the nearby Miho River embankment burst, flooding the underpass with river water and submerging 17 vehicles including city buses, resulting in 14 deaths and 11 injuries.
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