S. Korean top court finalizes 4-year sentence for battery maker CEO over deadly factory fire

SEOUL - South Korea's top court on Tuesday finalized a four-year prison sentence for Park Soon-kwan, chief executive officer (CEO) of lithium battery maker Aricell, over a deadly factory fire that claimed the lives of 23 workers in 2024.

The Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's ruling, convicting Park of violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act by failing to fulfill his duties to ensure workplace safety.

The court also upheld a seven-year prison term for Park's son, who served as Aricell's chief operating officer, and a fine of 800 million won (about 602,000 US dollars) for the corporate entity.

The tragic disaster occurred on June 24, 2024, at an Aricell plant in Hwaseong, some 45 km south of Seoul. Lithium battery explosions triggered a massive blaze, leaving 23 workers dead and nine others injured.

A district court sentenced Park to 15 years in prison, marking the heaviest sentence since the Serious Accident Punishment Act took effect in 2022.

The appeals court, however, slashed the CEO's prison term to four years, acquitting him of special charges regarding the installment and maintenance of emergency exit in each floor of the plant.