A court in South Korea has sentenced the head of a lithium battery company to 15 years in prison over a factory fire that claimed 23 lives in 2024.
The blaze broke out in June last year at Aricell’s plant in Hwaseong, a city located about 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Most of the victims were foreign workers, while eight others sustained injuries.
The court ruled that the tragedy could have been prevented, stating that the company’s chief executive, Park Soon-kwan, and other senior managers failed to ensure proper safety standards at the factory. This ruling marks the longest sentence handed down under South Korea’s industrial safety law, which allows for prison terms of at least one year or fines up to 1 billion won for fatal workplace incidents.
Prosecutors had sought a 20-year jail term, arguing that changes made inside the facility left workers with no clear escape routes when the fire broke out. Park’s son, who also holds a top position at the company, received the same 15-year prison term along with a fine of 1 million won.
Investigations revealed that the factory lacked proper safety systems and that workers were not adequately trained to handle emergencies. At the time of the incident, around 35,000 battery cells were stored on the second floor, where inspection and packaging took place. Firefighters struggled to contain the blaze because lithium reacts dangerously with water, forcing them to use dry sand in an operation that lasted several hours.
Although Park apologized after the disaster, he rejected accusations that safety failures were to blame. South Korea, a global leader in lithium battery production used in electric cars and electronic devices, has faced growing concerns about workplace safety. Following the incident, President Lee Jae Myung pledged tougher measures and stricter penalties for companies linked to fatal workplace accidents.