8 Years in Prison Demanded for Construction Company Head over Busan Banyan Tree Fire That Killed 6

Prosecutors have demanded an eight-year prison sentence for the head of the main construction company involved in a fire at a new resort construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan, which resulted in the deaths of six workers.

The Eastern Branch of the Busan District Prosecutors Office announced that during the sentencing hearing held by the Criminal Division 2 of the Eastern Branch of the Busan District Court on October 23, it demanded eight-year prison terms for Park Jung-oh, chairman of Samjung Corporation, and Park Sang-cheon, CEO of Samjung E&C.

Additionally, a three-year prison term was demanded for the subcontractor's CEO, four-year and three-year prison terms for two site managers, and a three-year prison term for a plumber.

Under the joint penal provisions of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, prosecutors also demanded fines of 600 million won each for Samjung Corporation and Samjung E&C, and a fine of 30 million won for the subcontractor.

The prosecutors stated the reason for the sentencing demands, noting, "This is an unprecedented and exceptional crime where the construction company obtained fraudulent fire approval, creating the risk of a fire, and site managers and others neglected the site, leading to a major disaster."

Meanwhile, the defense counsel for the construction company argued that the cause of the fire did not lie with the construction company and that the outbreak of the fire could not have been foreseen.

They also maintained that as the top management executives, they fulfilled their safety management obligations, claiming that the fire may have broken out due to causes other than welding work.

Furthermore, they emphasized that the responsibilities of the primary contractor and the subcontractor regarding the fire and the workers' deaths should be judged separately.

Park, who has stepped down from front-line management, also maintained his position that he does not qualify as a management-responsible person under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Previously, on February 14 of last year, a fire broke out at the new Banyan Tree resort construction site within the Osiria Tourist Complex in Gijang-gun, Busan, killing six workers and causing 27 others to inhale smoke.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.