Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal in Case Defended by Former Chief Justice Yang Sungtae
Both Hanshin Engineering & Construction and Subcontractor Fined
Hanshin Engineering & Construction has received a confirmed fine for violating industrial safety laws in connection with an incident in which a worker died after falling while performing cleaning work at a construction site. This case drew attention last May when it became known that former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sungtae had submitted a power of attorney in the appeal and was appointed as legal counsel for Hanshin Engineering & Construction.
According to the legal community on the 23rd, the Supreme Court's Third Division (Presiding Justice Eom Sangpil) finalized on the 3rd the lower court's ruling, which sentenced Hanshin Engineering & Construction and the subcontractor to fines of 7 million won and 10 million won, respectively. In addition, the Supreme Court confirmed suspended prison sentences for the site managers of both Hanshin Engineering & Construction and the subcontractor for violating industrial safety laws and for occupational negligence resulting in death: one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, and one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, respectively.
In June 2019, an incident occurred in which two workers fell 12 meters to their deaths while cleaning an elevator shaft at an apartment complex in Busan. It was confirmed that, at the time, the workers were not wearing safety belts while working in the shaft and fell as a result. Due to this incident, Hanshin Engineering & Construction and the subcontractor were brought to trial on charges of violating industrial safety laws.
The court of first instance found that the defendants had failed to take proper safety measures, resulting in the workers' fatal fall at the site, and considered the consequences to be extremely serious. The court found both Hanshin Engineering & Construction and the subcontractor guilty and imposed fines. The site managers were also given suspended prison sentences. The defendants appealed, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, and the Supreme Court upheld the same judgment.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
