In connection with the Osong underpass disaster in Cheongju that took 14 lives, the site managers responsible for the shoddy embankment work on the Miho River, identified as the direct cause of the crash, were sentenced to up to two years in prison.
The Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 5 single-judge panel (Presiding Judge Kang Geon-woo, Director General) on the 9th sentenced two employees of Kumho E&C, the builder for the Miho Stream Bridge expansion work, and two employees of the supervising firm, who were indicted on charges including occupational negligence resulting in death and injury and instigating evidence fabrication, to prison terms ranging from eight months with three years of probation to two years.
In addition, the site manager, identified as A, who was additionally indicted on charges including violating the River Act, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, and Kumho E&C, the Sigongsa, and the supervising company, which were indicted on charges of violating the Construction Technology Promotion Act, were each given the maximum sentence allowed by law of a fine of 1.2 billion won and a fine of 700 million won.
A previously had a six-year prison term finalized by the Supreme Court on charges including occupational negligence resulting in death and is serving time, so if the prison sentence handed down this day is finalized, A will serve a total of seven years and six months.
Judge Kang, Director General, said, "The defendants argue that the design drawings included cutting into the embankment and therefore they did not need to obtain a separate river occupancy permit, and they do not acknowledge occupational negligence," adding, "However, when the defendants first cut into the embankment in 2021, they did not even know that what they were tearing down was an embankment."
Kang continued, "It is hard to avoid social condemnation for people who did not even know what they were tearing down to claim that 'cutting into the embankment was included in the design drawings,' and they lack even the minimum qualification to make such a claim."
Judge Kang, Director General, noted that this situation stemmed from Kumho E&C(002990)'s pursuit of private interests. He pointed out, "Kumho E&C had its employees pursue only the company's profits, which brought down the embankment that can be called the last bulwark for preventing flood damage, and rendered meaningless the supervision system that can be called the minimum institutional safeguard for securing safety at construction sites."
The Osong disaster occurred on July 15, 2023, when heavy rain fell and the Miho River embankment near the Gungpyeong 2 underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, burst, sending water into the underpass, flooding 17 vehicles including a city bus passing through, and killing 14 people.
Prosecutors determined that the disaster stemmed from the complacent and sloppy responses of the top leaders and working-level officials of the related agencies and sent a total of 45 people, including two corporations, to trial, including Cheongju Mayor Lee Beom-seok and former Sejong City Construction Agency head Lee Sang-rae. Among them, only 11 people, including the supervising team leader and the fire chief, have received verdicts, including the seven sentenced this day.