Boss jailed over deadly fire at South Korea battery plant

Peter HoskinsBusiness reporterVideo exhibits second lithium batteries exploded in a South Korea manufacturing unit, resulting in a lethal fireA South Korean court docket has handed a 15-year jail sentence to the boss of a lithium battery maker after a lethal hearth final 12 months.In June 2024, a blaze at a plant in Hwaseong metropolis, about 45km (28 miles) south of the capital Seoul, killed 23 folks, together with 18 international staff, and injured eight others.The court docket discovered the blaze was “an anticipated catastrophe” and that Aricell chief govt Park Quickly-kwan and different executives had brought on the deaths of the employees.It’s the longest jail time period imposed beneath the nation’s industrial security legislation, which punishes house owners or bosses of companies with a minimum of a 12 months in jail, or fines of as much as 1 billion received ($717,000; £530,000), for deadly incidents.Prosecutors had sought a 20-year time period, arguing that firm executives had made modifications to the plant that meant it was tough for staff to flee the fireplace.Park’s son, who’s a senior govt on the firm, was additionally sentenced to fifteen years in jail and fined 1 million received.Investigators have stated the agency didn’t have correct security measures in place and didn’t prepare its staff adequately.Park the CEO issued an apology after the fireplace, however denied allegations of security lapses on the manufacturing unit.ReutersThe blaze at an Aricell plant in Hwaseong killed 23 peopleAt the time of the fireplace, the Aricell manufacturing unit housed an estimated 35,000 battery cells on its second ground, the place batteries have been inspected and packaged.As lithium fires can react intensely with water, firefighters had to make use of dry sand to struggle the fireplace, which took a number of hours to get beneath management.South Korea is a number one producer of lithium batteries, that are utilized in many gadgets from electrical automobiles to laptops.The nation’s President Lee Jae Myung has stated not sufficient is being finished to guard staff from demise or damage in South Korean workplaces, and has pledged to extend penalties in opposition to companies the place deadly accidents happen.