The Supreme Court on the 20th upheld a four-year prison sentence for Park Soon-kwan, chief executive of battery maker Aricell, who was convicted of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act over a factory fire that killed 23 workers.
The ruling was handed down by the first panel of the Supreme Court, with Justice Chun Dae-yeop as the presiding judge in the case.
The fire broke out on June 24, 2024, at Aricell's plant in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong, killing 23 workers and injuring nine.
Park was indicted and held in custody on charges of failing to meet safety and health obligations, including not inspecting hazards and risk factors at the site and not preparing a manual for responding to a serious industrial accident.
A lower court initially sentenced Park to 15 years in prison, ruling that he qualified as a "management official" (business manager) subject to punishment under the law and finding him guilty.
An appeals court cut the term sharply to four years. It overturned part of the conviction, finding Park not guilty on the merits of charges related to emergency exits, ruling that he was not required to install them and had not violated obligations to maintain them. The appeals court also found that the lower court had erred in giving only limited weight, in sentencing, to Park's settlement with the victims' families.