Top court finalizes four-year prison sentence for Aricell CEO over deadly fire

The Supreme Court on Tuesday finalized a four-year prison sentence for the head of lithium battery maker Aricell for failing to take sufficient 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 at the factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

It was the heaviest sentence ever to be handed down to a CEO after the law came into force in 2022. Under the law, business owners or CEOs can face a minimum prison sentence of one year and/or a maximum fine of 1 billion won ($753,000) for fatal industrial accidents.

But the appeals court reduced the sentence to four years in prison, clearing Park and his son, who works as a managing director of the company, of a key charge that they failed to install an emergency exit on the factory's second floor. The court noted that safety rules do not specifically require exits on every floor.

The appellate court also took into consideration the company's settlements with the victims' bereaved families.

On Tuesday, the top court upheld the appeals court's verdict.

The Supreme Court also finalized a seven-year prison term for Park's son. He had initially been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the district court.

Yonhap