15-Year Prison Sentence Sought for COO Park Jungun
"Worst Accident Since Implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act"
Prosecutors have requested a 20-year prison sentence for Sunkwan Park, CEO of primary battery manufacturer Aricell, who was indicted for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and other related laws. The charges stem from a factory fire last year that resulted in the deaths of 23 people.
During the sentencing hearing held on July 23 at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 14 (presided over by Chief Judge Koh Kwonhong), prosecutors asked the court to impose this heavy sentence on Park, who is charged with violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (industrial accident fatality), the Dispatch Act, and the Industrial Safety and Health Act, among other offenses.
Prosecutors also sought a 15-year prison sentence for Park Jungun, Aricell's Chief Operating Officer and son of CEO Park, who was indicted and detained on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act and causing death and injury through occupational negligence. For six other Aricell executives and employees indicted for violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act and causing death and injury through occupational negligence, prosecutors requested sentences of three years in prison, one year and six months to three years in suspended sentences, and fines of 10 million won each.
Additionally, prosecutors requested a fine of 800 million won for Aricell as a corporate entity, and fines ranging from 10 million to 30 million won for Hanshin Dia, Maisel, and Kangsan Industrial Construction, which were involved in labor supply and other related activities. Prosecutors stated that most of the victims were undocumented migrant workers who were vulnerable to inadequate safety management, and described the incident as the worst mass casualty accident since the implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. They further explained, "This accident was particularly egregious because dispatched workers were left in a safety blind spot."
Prosecutors also pointed out, "Although Sunkwan Park was the management representative of Aricell, he abandoned and neglected the establishment of safety management at Aricell." They criticized him for focusing solely on increasing production and company profits by utilizing low-wage labor, rather than prioritizing human life. They added, "He placed profit above human life," and noted, "Despite this, he shifted managerial responsibility onto his son, Chief Operating Officer Park Jungun, and has shown no sign of remorse."
Prosecutors argued, "Park Jungun also neglected his duties as a safety management officer due to a disregard for safety, and shifted responsibility to others, making it difficult to see his remorse as genuine." They continued, "Migrant workers who dreamed of a happy life in Korea lost their lives just a few months after arriving," and stated that Aricell's outsourcing of its workforce, which disregarded human life, was unprecedented. Prosecutors concluded that those in management positions responsible for worker safety must be held accountable to instill a sense of responsibility.
Before the sentencing hearing, four bereaved family members of the Aricell disaster victims were given the opportunity to speak and urged the court to impose severe punishment. Some family members broke down in tears and expressed their anger toward the defendants.
Firefighters are busily working at the scene of a fire at a primary battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, last June. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
CEO Park was indicted and detained on September 24 last year on charges of violating safety and health obligations by failing to inspect hazardous and dangerous factors and by not preparing a manual for serious accident prevention, in connection with the fire that broke out at the Aricell factory at around 10:30 a.m. on June 24 last year, which resulted in the deaths of 23 workers and injuries to eight others. He was later released on bail and has since stood trial without detention.
Chief Operating Officer Park is accused of violating his duty of care regarding battery storage and management (insufficient heat detection monitoring) and fire safety management (failure to conduct safety education and fire drills), which led to the large-scale loss of life.
Prosecutors stated that COO Park and other Aricell executives and employees removed fire compartment walls at their own discretion for production convenience and installed temporary walls in evacuation routes, altering the structure. They also installed locks on doors behind these temporary walls, allowing only regular employees to enter, which prosecutors identified as a factor that increased the harm suffered by foreign workers. Of the 23 people who died in the fire, 20 were dispatched workers, and most of the deceased had been employed for only three to eight months before the accident occurred.
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