A South Korean court on Tuesday sentenced the chief executive of a lithium battery manufacturer, Park Soon-kwan, to 15 years in prison over a devastating factory fire that claimed 23 lives in June 2024.
The blaze, which tore through Aricell’s battery plant in Hwaseong, remains one of South Korea’s worst industrial disasters in recent memory. Most of the victims were Chinese migrant workers who, according to investigators, were trapped by locked exits and poor safety infrastructure.
Delivering judgment, the Suwon District Court condemned the company’s prioritisation of profit over safety, ruling that Park had shown “almost no concern” for protecting workers. He was convicted under the nation’s Serious Accidents Punishment Act as well as the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The court held that one of the most critical factors in the high death toll was the placement of the emergency exit in a restricted area where temporary staff were barred from entry. This, it said, left workers fatally exposed when the fire broke out.
In a rare move, Park’s son, who served as Aricell’s general manager, was also handed a 15-year sentence alongside a fine of one million won (about $717).
“The tragedy was not an unforeseeable misfortune but a disaster waiting to happen,” the judgment read. “Behind it lies the grim reality of an industrial structure that values production and profit over human lives.”
Prosecutors told the court that Park had failed to prepare proper safety manuals, neglected inspections of hazardous equipment, and presided over an environment where doors were routinely locked — a factor that worsened casualties when the fire erupted.
At his final hearing in July, Park expressed contrition, telling grieving families: “On that painful day, many people lost their precious family members. No words can be enough, but once again I apologise to the bereaved families.”
The ruling underscores South Korea’s tougher stance on corporate accountability following a string of workplace tragedies. But labour unions have argued that deeper reforms are still needed to protect vulnerable migrant workers, who often face the most perilous conditions on factory floors.
