'McDonald's Defective Patty' Former Supplier Employees Receive Reduced Sentences in 2nd Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The sentences of former executives of a supplier company who were prosecuted for delivering defective hamburger patties to McDonald's Korea and received suspended prison sentences in the first trial have been slightly reduced in the appellate trial.

On the morning of the 10th, the 9th Criminal Appeals Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Yang Kyungseung) overturned the original sentence of a 3-year prison term with a 4-year suspension for Song Mo, the managing director of beef patty supplier company M, who was indicted for violating the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act, and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year suspension. This was because, according to the laws at the time, some charges had to be acquitted. The sentences of other executives, including factory manager Hwang Mo, were also partially reduced. However, company M was fined 100 million won, which is 60 million won more than the first trial, according to the joint liability regulation.

Previously, Song and others were prosecuted on charges of distributing 63 tons of beef patties that tested positive in a kit test checking for contamination by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. They were also charged with selling 2,160 tons of beef patties in which the Shiga toxin gene was detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, a DNA amplification method. Shiga toxin is a toxic component secreted by enterohemorrhagic E. coli.

The prosecution received complaints from consumers against McDonald's Korea and conducted an investigation, but in February 2018, they concluded that they could not prove a causal relationship between McDonald's hamburgers and the disease, and only prosecuted the M company officials, closing the investigation. Consumers claimed that they contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS, also known as hamburger disease) after eating undercooked McDonald's hamburgers.

The first trial stated, "The defendants knew that the patties had pathogenic hygiene concerns but still sold them after refreezing," and pointed out that "the harm caused to society at large is significant." It continued, "Children who actually consumed hamburgers made from the patties developed E. coli infections, and some suffered severe pain," and criticized, "The fact that they actively concealed the crime also reflects poorly on their character."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.