Aricell CEO indicted, detained on charges of violating workplace safety laws

Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan was indicted and detained by the prosecution over the fatal fire at the company's Hwaseong-based factory last June.

Lithium battery maker Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who is involved in a deadly fire accident, is seen in a photo after ending his questioning session for an arrest warrant in a local court in Gyeonggi last month. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors on Tuesday indicted and detained lithium battery maker Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan on multiple charges related to a fire at a Hwaseong-based factory that resulted in dozens of fatalities last June.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said it referred Park to a criminal court on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the Act relating to Protection for Dispatched Workers and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

On June 24, a fire broke out in Aricell’s building in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, which reportedly stored 35,000 lithium batteries. The blaze spread at an uncontrollable speed and killed 23 employees. It also injured eight workers.

During a briefing, the prosecution said the accident was a “man-made disaster induced by insensitivity toward safety,” according to a report from the JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday. It also noted that Park and his son Park Joong-eon, who oversaw corporate management, mishandled safety protocol and practices.

The prosecutors specified in detail that the CEO did not conduct mandatory safety inspections and failed to equip the facility with safety manuals regarding industrial accidents. They also stated that his son was negligent in monitoring and tracking the status of battery storage.

The prosecution also assumed that the son illegally modified fire compartments inside the building and installed a fake wall and a locking device that only permanent employees could access.

As dispatched workers at Aricell were not granted access, the prosecution believed it was a factor in aggravating the loss of life.

Of the 23 deceased victims, 20 were dispatched workers who were mostly in their third to eighth month of work.

The prosecutors also pointed out that management prioritized profit over people's lives. A report from Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday said the company increased its production yield beyond its capacity to maximize profit and overcome its continuing deficit.

The father and son were also suspected of illegally sourcing 320 employees from an outsourcing company without a permit and assigning them to production work at the Aricell plant between November 2021 and June.

The prosecution also noted that the younger Park was accused of tampering with product quality test data to supply its products to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

Regarding the blaze, six other executives and employees were indicted on charges of occupational negligence without detention. Also, the prosecution indicted four corporations, including Aricell, on charges of violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, SON SUNG-BAE [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]