Prosecution Seeks 5-Year Prison Sentence for Former SK Chemical Vice President in Humidifier Disinfectant Evidence Tampering Case

by Oh Kuemin

Published 18 Apr.2022 19:33(KST)

Prosecution: "It is necessary to severely punish the defendant to remind the seriousness of the law"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] The prosecution has demanded a five-year prison sentence for Park Cheol (56), former vice president of SK Chemicals, who was indicted on charges including evidence tampering related to the "humidifier disinfectant" case.

On the 18th, at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 15 (Presiding Judge Joo Jinam), during the trial for Park's charges of evidence tampering and violation of the Special Act on Humidifier Disinfectants, the prosecution requested a five-year prison term for Park and fines of 10 million won each for SK Chemicals and SK Innovation, who were also indicted.

The prosecution stated the reason for the demand, saying, "The humidifier disinfectant incident is a disaster that caused harm to many consumers. Instead of cooperating with investigations to uncover the truth, the related companies focused on meticulously and persistently concealing the truth over a long period by mobilizing company resources."

Park's defense attorney argued in the final statement, "The defendants are all ordinary company employees and have no reason to commit crimes to promote company interests," adding, "Excessive responsibility should not be imposed due to social interest that differs from the facts."

Park and others were indicted for concealing the results of toxicity experiments commissioned to Seoul National University when Yukong, the predecessor of SK Chemicals, developed the country's first humidifier disinfectant from October to December 1994.

SK Chemicals claimed that the product was released after safety was confirmed through inhalation toxicity tests commissioned to Professor Lee Youngsoon's team at Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine, but responded to requests for data from the media and the National Assembly by stating that "the data no longer exists."

Former executives of SK Chemicals and Aekyung Industrial, who were also implicated in the humidifier disinfectant scandal and brought to trial, were all acquitted in the first trial in January last year, and their second trial is currently underway at the Seoul High Court.