Will the Second Major Accident Verdict Sentencing the Woncheong CEO to Prison Affect Future Trials?

Changwon District Court Masan Branch Sentences CEO of Hanguk Jegang to Imprisonment in First Trial

As the CEO of Hankook Steel, who was indicted for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and other charges, received a prison sentence on the 26th, attention is focused on future rulings related to serious accidents.

The CEO of Hankook Steel was indicted on charges of failing to fulfill safety obligations in connection with the death of a man in his 60s, Mr. B, who was working at Hankook Steel in Haman, Gyeongnam, on March 16 last year, when his leg was crushed by a 1.2-ton heat shield.

Changwon District Court Masan Branch, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

According to the legal community, there are currently a total of 14 cases indicted for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, among which the first trial verdicts for Onyu Partners and Hankook Steel have been delivered.

Compared to the first case where the CEO of Onyu Partners was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation, the CEO of Hankook Steel was sentenced to 1 year in prison and was taken into custody in court on this day.

Onyu Partners corporation was fined 30 million won, and the site manager, who was the safety manager, was fined 5 million won; however, Hankook Steel corporation was fined 100 million won, and the subcontractor’s CEO was sentenced to 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation.

The legal and labor communities expect that this ruling, which is the first time a prison sentence has been handed down to a primary contractor’s CEO, will influence future rulings related to serious accidents.

Following the first trial verdict of Hankook Steel held at the Changwon District Court Masan Branch in the morning, the eighth trial of the CEO of Duseong Industry will take place in the afternoon.

In February last year, 16 employees of Duseong Industry suffered toxic infections caused by the hazardous substance trichloromethane.

The CEO of Duseong Industry was indicted in June last year on charges of failing to take safety and health measures, such as not installing a local exhaust system while handling trichloromethane.

During the trial, Duseong Industry requested a constitutional review, arguing that the Serious Accidents Punishment Act violates the constitution.

With the court stating that “a structural problem threatening the safety of workers has been revealed, making severe punishment inevitable” and sentencing a prison term, attention is focused on the outcomes of the remaining serious accident-related trials, including that of Duseong Industry.

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