A memorial stone has been erected at the site of the Aricell factory fire, which claimed 23 lives, to honor the victims.

The Aricell Serious Disaster Countermeasure Committee, the Aricell Industrial Accident Victims' Families Association, and the Hwaseong Committee for Memorializing Industrial Accident Deaths held an unveiling ceremony for the memorial stone in front of the Aricell factory at the Jeon-gok Industrial Complex in Hwaseong on the 22nd.

The memorial stone, a black bronze plaque measuring 75 cm in width and 80 cm in height, was installed on the ground in front of the factory's main gate.

The plaque is inscribed with the message, "Remembering the 23 victims of the Aricell disaster, we will take action to prevent recurrence," written in Korean, Chinese, and Lao.

Song Seong-young, co-representative of the Aricell Countermeasure Committee (and co-representative of the Korea Civil Society Network), stated, "Just because the site of a social disaster is cleared and the buildings are gone, the tragedy that occurred there must not be erased." He added, "I hope this memorial stone serves as a promise to remember the victims and a social pledge that we will never repeat the same tragedy."

The Aricell fire disaster occurred on June 24, 2024, at the Aricell factory in the Jeon-gok Industrial Complex, resulting in 23 deaths and 8 injuries.

Following the incident, CEO Park Soon-kwan was indicted on charges including violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and was sentenced to four years in prison in the appellate trial. His son, General Manager Park Joong-eon, was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 1 million won for charges including professional negligence resulting in death and injury. The case is currently pending in the Supreme Court.

(Photo: Yonhap News)