Arisel CEO Sentenced to 15 Years in First Trial for Factory Fire That Killed 23... Highest Sentence Under Serious Accidents Punishment Act

"Not an Unforeseeable Accident, but a Forewarned Disaster"
Five Taken Into Custody in Court

Park Sunkwan, CEO of Econex, the parent company of Arisel, is bowing his head in apology at the site of the fire accident at the Arisel factory, a primary battery manufacturer in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on June 25, 2024.

Park Sunkwan, CEO of Arisel, a primary battery manufacturer, who was indicted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in connection with the factory fire that resulted in 23 deaths, has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.

On September 23, the 14th Criminal Division of the Suwon District Court (Presiding Judge Ko Kwonhong) sentenced CEO Park to 15 years in prison for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (industrial accident causing death), the Dispatch Act, and the Industrial Safety and Health Act. This is the highest sentence handed down in a case prosecuted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act since its implementation in 2022.

The court also sentenced Park Jungun, Head of Arisel's General Headquarters and son of CEO Park, to 15 years in prison and a fine of 1 million won for violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act and for occupational negligence resulting in death or injury.

Six other Arisel executives and employees, who were tried as accomplices of Park Jungun, received sentences of two years in prison, one to two years in detention, and fines of 10 million won, respectively. Five people, including CEO Park who had been released on bail during the trial, were immediately taken into custody after the sentencing.

The court stated, "This fire was not an unpredictable, unfortunate accident, but rather a foreseeable event that could have occurred at any time. Behind this incident lies the reality of our industrial structure, which prioritizes production and profit maximization over worker safety, and the grim working conditions faced by dispatched workers."

Previously, at the sentencing hearing in July, prosecutors had requested 20 years in prison for CEO Park and 15 years for the Head of General Headquarters, Park. 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.