4-year prison term finalized for battery maker Aricell CEO over deadly plant fire
The Supreme Court on Tuesday finalized a four-year prison sentence for the head of lithium battery maker Aricell for failing to take enough safety measures at the company's factory where a deadly fire killed 23 workers and injured nine in 2024. Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan had initially been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a district court on charges of violating his obligations to secure safety…
The Supreme Court has concluded a four-year prison term for Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who was convicted of insufficient safety measures at the company's factory. The factory, located in Hwaseong, South Korea, experienced a deadly fire in 2024 that claimed the lives of 23 workers and injured nine others. Initially, Park had been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a district court, a record-breaking penalty under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act of 2022.
This law imposes a minimum one-year sentence and potentially a maximum fine of 1 billion won ($753,000) for CEOs involved in fatal industrial accidents. However, the appeals court reduced the sentence to four years, dismissing a crucial charge that the CEO and his son had neglected to install an emergency exit on the factory's second floor. The court clarified that safety regulations do not mandate exits on every floor.
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