6 Dead in Busan Banyan Tree Resort Fire; Construction Company Chairman and 5 Others Arrested

Six people, including the management responsible at Samjeong Enterprises, the construction company, have been arrested in connection with the fire at the Busan Banyan Tree Resort on February 6, which resulted in six deaths.

According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and Busan Employment and Labor Office on the 4th, the Busan District Court Eastern Branch issued arrest warrants for Samjeong Enterprises Chairman Park Jeong-o and CEO Park Sang-cheon on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Additionally, arrest warrants were also issued for four others affiliated with Samjeong Enterprises, including the site manager, subcontractor representatives, site supervisors, and workers, who are accused of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act and causing death by occupational negligence.

They are suspected of neglecting safety and health management, such as failing to assign fire watch personnel during the fire.

In particular, it was revealed that despite many workers performing various hot work tasks, including welding and cutting, appropriate safety measures were not implemented at the time of the accident.

The court reportedly issued the arrest warrants considering the severity of the incident and the possibility of evidence tampering.

This is the third case where a management official has been arrested for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, following similar cases in the Hwaseong Arisel fire accident and the Yeongpung Seokpo Smelter Arshin leak accident.

Meanwhile, on February 14 at around 10:51 a.m., a fire occurred at the construction site of ‘Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan’ near Orangdae Park within the Osiria Tourist Complex in Gijang-gun, Busan, resulting in the deaths of six workers.