All Former Public Official and Fellow Cleaners Found Guilty of Destroying Evidence in Locker Accident That Killed Cleaner

All former public officials and fellow sanitation workers indicted for destroying key evidence related to an incident 8 years ago in which a sanitation worker was crushed to death by a shoe rack at an administrative welfare center in Suwon have been found guilty.

The Suwon District Court sentenced a former Suwon city official, surnamed Han, to 8 months in prison suspended for 1 year today (October 23) on charges including instigation of destruction of evidence.

The court also announced sentences of a 2 million won fine suspended for 1 year for each of the three sanitation workers who participated in the evidence destruction crime under Han's instructions.

They were accused of dismantling the shoe rack in question and destroying key evidence immediately after a sanitation worker, identified as A, was crushed by the shoe rack on the stairs of an administrative welfare center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in September 2018 and rushed to the hospital.

Worker A suffered severe head injuries and died a month after the accident while receiving treatment. The bereaved family filed a civil lawsuit against Suwon City after capturing circumstances where the shoe rack was improperly installed and poorly managed, leading to the accident. In 2021, the court recognized responsibility for poor management of the shoe rack and ordered damages of approximately 70 million won.

However, CCTV footage showing Han and others dismantling and clearing away the shoe rack about 30 minutes after the accident was later confirmed, and the bereaved family filed a complaint against them on charges of destroying evidence, stating, "They destroyed unfavorable evidence to avoid responsibility for the accident."

Police initially accepted Han's argument that "debris is cleared away when a traffic accident occurs" and dismissed the case with no charges. However, following direct investigations by the prosecution and a court order to indict, a total of four people, including Han and three fellow sanitation workers, stood trial. This fact became known to the public through an SBS report last January, causing public outrage.

Han and the others denied the charges in court, stating that they "had no awareness or intent to destroy evidence," but the court did not accept this.

The court stated, "Even from an external view, anyone could easily foresee that the defects in the installation and management of the shoe rack were connected to the damage suffered by the victim," and added, "It appears one could also easily recognize that if defects in the installation and management of the shoe rack were recognized, ensuing criminal or disciplinary responsibility could become an issue."

The court also stated, "Even assuming that there was a need to move the shoe rack due to safety issues at the time, as the defendants claim, there would likely have been no need to carry out dismantling work within such an early timeframe."

Based on the damage ruling that recognized the shoe rack defect as the cause of the accident, the court found Han and all others guilty, stating, "Even with eventual intent, it can be recognized that there was awareness and intent regarding the fact that the shoe rack could be used as evidence and that its evidentiary value was impaired by dismantling it."

The court pointed out, "The crime of destroying evidence is of poor character in that it disturbs the criminal justice system and causes obstacles to the exercise of state punitive or disciplinary powers."

It further rebuked, "Considering that their crime caused the bereaved family to suffer great psychological distress for a long period, such as being unable to ascertain the proper truth from the beginning, appropriate punishment must be in place," adding, "The culpability is not light."

However, the court explained that suspended sentences were issued considering that they had no major prior criminal records and had expressed some intentions of apology.

Immediately after the sentencing, worker A's bereaved family met with SBS reporting staff and expressed regret, saying, "It is fortunate that the guilty verdict was recognized," while adding, "We have never received any apology. Even though they disturbed the criminal justice system, handing down suspended sentences is a slap on the wrist."

Suwon City plans to review the verdict and decide on measures regarding the three sanitation workers currently still employed.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.