Police Request Pre-Arrest Warrants for 3 Site Managers in Yangju Quarry Burial Accident

Nine People Including Sampyo Industrial Employees Booked

Sampyo Industry Jongno Headquarters [Photo by Moon Honam]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] In January, the police applied for pre-trial detention warrants for the site managers responsible for the landslide accident at a quarry in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in three deaths.

The Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced on the 27th that they had applied for pre-trial detention warrants for three individuals: A (45), the site manager of Sampyo Industrial Yangju branch, B (40), the safety management officer, and C (50), the explosives management officer, on charges of professional negligence causing death. Additionally, nine employees from the headquarters and the branch office were booked on the same charges.

According to the police investigation, the causes of the accident include ▲continuing quarry operations without securing the proper slope angle of the rock face ▲simultaneously conducting embankment, excavation, and blasting work without considering safety through regular inspections and improvements ▲ground weakening due to long-term rainwater infiltration, weather effects, and blasting ▲operating under a production-focused management system without fundamental measures despite signs of collapse such as some cracks.

After the accident, the police formed a dedicated team and conducted a joint on-site investigation with related agencies including the Ministry of Labor, analyzed seized materials, consulted external experts for accident cause analysis, performed digital forensics, and collected testimonies from related parties to carry out the investigation.

The police plan to transfer the suspects to the prosecution.

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