Home > National > Social Affairs

Sejong bathhouse owner gets suspended sentence for electrocution deaths

Published: 11 Sep. 2025, 17:43 Updated: 11 Sep. 2025, 17:45

Police stand in front of a bathhouse in Sejong where three people died after being electrocuted on Dec. 24, 2023. [NEWS1]

A Sejong bathhouse owner was given a suspended prison sentence on Thursday over the death of three customers by electrocution in December 2023.

The Daejeon District Court sentenced the owner to one year in prison with a two-year suspension for occupational negligence resulting in death.

The owner had run the public bathhouse in Jochiwon, a town in Sejong, since 2015 but never inspected or replaced an aging underwater massage machine motor. On Dec. 24, 2023, at 5:37 a.m., electricity leaked into the hot bath, killing three customers.

Investigations by police and the National Forensic Service found that damaged insulation around the motor’s wiring allowed current to flow through the connected pipes and into the hot bath. The motor, manufactured 27 years prior, had no circuit breaker, and the bathhouse’s electrical system also lacked a leakage breaker, leaving customers at high risk.

The owner’s defense argued that there is no legal life span for underwater massage machines and that the insulation damage could not have been predicted. The court rejected the claim.

“Business owners must anticipate and prevent risks that may occur while customers use their facilities," the judge said. "The defendant neglected to inspect or replace the motor for about nine years after taking over the bathhouse, which led to this incident.”

The judge added that “although three people died, the defendant reached a settlement with the victims’ families, who no longer wish to see the defendant punished.” The court considered this in handing down a suspended sentence.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]