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Sampyo Group chairman acquitted in 1st workplace disaster law case

Published: 10 Feb. 2026, 19:31

A crane is tears down Sampyo Remicon's Seoul factory in its final phase of demolition in August 2022. [YONHAP]

The chairman of Sampyo Group was acquitted Tuesday in the first court ruling under Korea's workplace disaster law, following a deadly landslide that resulted in three deaths in 2022.

Prosecutors had sought a four-year prison sentence for Chung, accusing him of failing to comply with safety regulations required under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which took effect in early 2022.

Three workers died in Sampyo Industry's landslide accident in Yangju, north of Seoul on Jan 29, 2022, just two days after the law went into effect.

The Uijeongbu District Court found Chung not guilty, ruling that he cannot be held accountable for the accident as the prosecutors stated.

The court also found the former Sampyo Industry CEO Lee Jong-shin, along with the company itself, not guilty.

Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, company owners and chief executives can face a minimum one-year prison sentence or a fine of up to one billion won ($684,647), in cases involving serious workplace disasters.

Yonhap