A South Korean court has sentenced Aricell CEO Park Soon‑kwan to 15 years in prison after a blaze at the company’s lithium-battery facility killed 23 workers and injured others.
The verdict, handed down last month by the Suwon District Court, also saw Park’s son, Park Joong‑eon, a senior executive at Aricell, receive a 15-year sentence.
On 24 June 2024, a fire erupted at Aricell’s plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, about 45 km south of Seoul. The blaze killed 23 employees – including 18 foreign workers – and injured eight others. Investigators found that the company had failed to implement adequate safety protocols, neglected emergency-escape routes, and engaged in unsafe production practices. The court described the fire as ‘an anticipated disaster’ that came after repeated warnings were ignored.
The case was prosecuted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which came into force in 2022, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Park Soon-kwan was found to have exercised managerial authority and received weekly reports, giving him responsibility for safety outcomes. The court was told that the firm had failed to maintain safe evacuation routes or adequate training, especially for temporary and migrant workers. Investigators found the company had ramped up production after failing a quality inspection in April 2024, worsening hazard levels.
South Korea continues to register high fatality rates in workplace incidents despite stronger laws. In 2024 alone, 589 people died in job-related accidents, according to government data.
Lithium-battery manufacturing in particular presents unique risks – thermal runaway, rapid fire spread, and toxic emissions – all of which require specialised hazard controls. The Hwaseong incident occurred in a facility housing a large stack of batteries, increasing fire severity.
Source – IOSH
