Prosecutors sought 20 years in prison for Aricell CEO Park Sun-gwan, who was sentenced to 15 years in the first trial on charges related to a deadly fire that killed 23 people.
According to legal sources on the 27th, at the second-trial closing hearing on charges including violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for Park, held under the Suwon High Court's Criminal Division 1 (presiding judge Shin Hyun-il), prosecutors asked the court to sentence Park to the same term as their original request (20 years in prison).
Prosecutors also sought 15 years in prison and a fine of 1 million won for Park's son, Park Jung-eon, Aricell's head of operations, who was indicted on charges including violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and occupational negligence causing death and injury. For six Aricell executives and employees put on trial on charges including violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, prosecutors sought, respectively, three years in prison, one year and six months to three years in confinement, and fines of 10 million won.
Prosecutors said, "Since the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, this incident has had the highest number of casualties, and there were numerous warning signs that could have predicted it," adding, "If the defendants had not ignored the warning signs and had valued the lives of workers, the workers would not have been exposed to danger."
Prosecutors also noted, "Barely two years after this incident, another heartbreaking accident occurred in which dozens were injured or killed by flames," referring to the recent fire at the Daejeon auto parts maker Safe Industry factory, which left 74 casualties.
In a final statement, Park said, "No words can offer comfort, but I offer my apologies to those who died in the Aricell fire and to the bereaved families," adding, "From now on, I will put safety in our society first and live humbly with a low profile."
The head of operations said in a final statement, "If I had been a bit more cautious and had devoted utmost attention to safety, this accident would not have happened, and I am living each day with that guilt. I offer my apologies to the victims and the bereaved families."
On Jun. 23 last year, a fire broke out at Aricell's factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, killing 23 workers. In the first trial, the court sentenced Park to 15 years in prison, the maximum term since the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
The second-trial sentencing hearing for Park and others is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 22nd of next month.