[Anchor]

Earlier this year, we reported on how a civil servant and fellow sanitation workers were put on trial for destroying evidence related to the death of a sanitation worker on the job eight years ago. Although police repeatedly concluded there was no case to answer despite the bereaved family's persistent appeals, a court found all defendants guilty today (October 23).

This is an exclusive report by An Huijae.

[Reporter]

The incident began in September 2018 at a community service center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

A 2-meter-high shoe cabinet installed on a stair landing collapsed onto a sanitation worker identified as A.

Worker A ultimately passed away a month later. It was later revealed that the shoe cabinet in question had vanished roughly 30 minutes after the accident.

Circumstances were uncovered showing that fellow sanitation workers dismantled the shoe cabinet immediately following the accident under the instructions of a city official surnamed Han.

While a civil lawsuit established Suwon City's negligence in managing the shoe cabinet and the bereaved family filed a complaint accusing Han and others of attempting to evade responsibility, police repeatedly reached a non-indictment conclusion. Even upon requests for supplementary investigations, police accepted Han's argument—such as asking whether debris isn't cleared away after a car accident—and concluded there was no intent to destroy evidence.

News that the bereaved family's persistent efforts to uncover the truth led to a prosecution investigation and a court-ordered indictment was previously covered by SBS.

[(January last year, SBS 8 News): With the investigation results recently overturned, this official and others are standing trial eight years later.]

The court found Han and all three sanitation workers guilty today.

Although Han and the others denied the charges, the bench concluded, "Anyone could easily have foreseen that defects in the installation and management of the shoe cabinet were linked to A's injuries, and the possibility of criminal and disciplinary liability was also easily foreseeable. Intent to impair the evidentiary value of the shoe cabinet, even on a conditional basis, is recognized."

The court rebuked the defendants, stating that the nature of their crime was severe and that the bereaved family likely suffered immense pain as their actions prevented the family from uncovering the true facts from the beginning. The court sentenced Han to eight months in prison suspended for two years, and fined each of the three sanitation workers 2 million won with a one-year suspended sentence.

[Bereaved Family Member of Worker A: Past events are flashing through my mind. There has been no apology whatsoever. The sentences are so lenient that it feels like a slap on the wrist.]

Suwon City plans to review the ruling and take follow-up measures regarding the sanitation workers who received fines.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin, Design: Kang Yun-jung)