Three Suspects in Charge of Hwaseong Arisel Fire Face Arrest Warrants

Allegations of Violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and Others

The Gyeonggi Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor applied for arrest warrants for three individuals, including the management responsible for the company, on the 61st day after the fire at the Hwaseong Arisel factory on the 23rd. They plan to swiftly complete the investigation in cooperation with related agencies and forward the case to the prosecution.

[Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor]

The Gyeonggi Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it applied to the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office for arrest warrants for three people, including the management of battery manufacturer ㄱ and related company ㄴ, on charges of violating the “Serious Accidents Punishment Act,” “Industrial Safety and Health Act,” and “Act on the Protection of Dispatched Workers” related to the fire accident at the Hwaseong battery factory that occurred in June.

The Gyeonggi Branch stated that due to the severity of the incident, which resulted in 23 deaths, and concerns about evidence tampering, they applied for arrest warrants jointly with the police.

Specifically, the charges include ▲ violation of the management’s duty to ensure safety and health ▲ violation of safety measures related to fire evacuation that caused multiple casualties and concealment of the occurrence of an industrial accident ▲ dispatching workers without permission for worker dispatch business and providing dispatched workers to direct production processes in manufacturing work that is not subject to dispatch.

Earlier, the Gyeonggi Branch formed a dedicated investigation team immediately after the accident and conducted an on-site inspection jointly with the police and related agencies on June 25. On the following day, June 26, they executed a search warrant, secured investigation materials, and analyzed seized items such as CCTV footage and design drawings. The investigation team has been conducting intensive investigations from multiple angles, including about 50 sessions of questioning over 20 witnesses and suspects.

On the 11th, bereaved families are offering flowers at the '49th-day Memorial Service for the Victims of the Arisel Factory Fire' held at the site of the Arisel fire accident in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Based on the investigation results so far and the substantive review of the arrest warrants, the Gyeonggi Branch plans to closely cooperate with the prosecution and police to promptly complete the investigation and forward the case to the prosecution. Kang Un-gyeong, head of the Gyeonggi Employment and Labor Branch, said, “We will mobilize all capabilities in investigation, supervision, and support to prevent disasters like this accident from recurring.”

Meanwhile, during the investigation into whether the company violated the Dispatch Act, the Ministry of Employment and Labor identified and corrected labor law violations such as wage arrears involving 321 workers. In addition to the accident site, a special industrial safety labor inspection was conducted on the factory buildings, and judicial actions are underway for 65 violations of the law. On the 13th, measures were announced to strengthen safety education for foreign workers and to reform risk assessments.