Overview

• The Suwon District Court convicted CEO Park Soon-kwan of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
• Judges found he failed to maintain safe evacuation exits and routes and ruled that this failure had a causal link to the 23 deaths.
• Park's son, a senior executive at Aricell, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 1 million won for safety violations and occupational negligence.
• Prosecutors had sought 20-year terms, arguing plant alterations hindered escape during the blaze, including an alleged false wall along an evacuation route.
• The June 2024 fire killed 23 workers, including 18 foreigners, and injured eight, and investigators said the company lacked proper safety protocols, relied on temporary labor, and rushed production.