AriseL CEO arrested, first case under the Major Accidents Punishment Act

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[Anchor]

Arise’s CEO, Park Soongwan, where more than 30 casualties occurred due to a lithium battery fire, has been issued an arrest warrant.

This is the first case of a company executive being arrested since the enactment of the major accident penalty act in 2022.

Report by reporter Kim Ki-hwa.

[Report]

To undergo a detention review, Arise CEO Park Soongwan visited the Ministry of Employment and Labor, briefly apologizing in response to reporters’ questions and then headed to court.

[Park Soongwan/Arise CEO: “(Is it true that these workers were illegally and unskilled but were put into operation?) I’m sorry. (Do you have anything to say to the families of the victims?) I’m sorry.”]

The court issued an arrest warrant citing the seriousness of Park’s allegations.

Park is charged with illegal dispatch and violation of the major accident penalty act.

This is the first case where a company executive has been arrested before trial since the enactment of the major accident penalty act in 2022.

Before attending the actual detention review, Park faced intensified protests from the families of the victims waiting as he entered the courtroom through the underground parking lot instead of the main court entrance.

[Kim Shin-bok/Aunt of Kim Jae-hyung: “Hiding away in the underground parking lot without even showing his face. Our families who are being pushed around like a duck in the Nakdong River. Who can we talk to?”]

To directly protest against Park’s side, the families of the victims moved their rally location from outside the court to inside the courthouse, but clashes erupted when the police and court officials intervened, claiming it was an ‘illegal assembly.’

The police and Ministry of Employment and Labor have announced that Arise’s excessive production to meet the military supply deadline appears to have led to the disaster.

[Kim Jong-min/Head of Arise Fire Accident Investigation Team, Southern Gyeonggi Police Station: “To achieve production targets, Arise hired unskilled workers and put them into major manufacturing processes, leading to a significant increase in defect rates.”]

Park’s son, Park Joong-eon, the head of Arise, was also arrested.

However, the safety officer of Arise and the CEO of the manpower dispatch company ‘Maysel’ had their warrants rejected due to no risk of evidence destruction and flight.

This is KBS News, Kim Ki-hwa.

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