[비즈한국] The 2nd anniversary of the Aricell factory fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which claimed 23 lives, has arrived. Though two years have passed since the disaster, the issues of unrecovered human remains at the site and the controversy over the judiciary’s lenient sentencing of those responsible remain ongoing. Bereaved families, along with labor and civic groups, gathered at the disaster site to demand strict punishment for those responsible and the recovery of the remains, appealing for continued social interest to resolve the unfinished business.
On June 24, the 2nd anniversary of the fire at the Aricell lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, was marked. The Aricell disaster was an industrial accident caused by a fire and explosion at a lithium battery manufacturing plant on June 24, 2024, resulting in 23 deaths and 9 injuries. Many of the victims were migrant workers and irregular staff, and problems such as illegal dispatching to cut costs, poor safety management, and the outsourcing of risks were highlighted.
To mark the 2nd anniversary, the Aricell Disaster Countermeasure Committee and the Aricell Industrial Disaster Victims' Families Association held an on-site memorial service at the disaster site within the Jeon-gok Industrial Complex in Hwaseong. This event was organized to honor the souls of the victims and to demand that the relevant authorities strictly punish those responsible and ensure the full recovery of the unrecovered remains. Attended by about 80 people, including bereaved families and members of civil society, the memorial began with prayers from the three major religions—Catholicism, Protestantism, and Buddhism—followed by remarks from families, the committee, and allies, and concluded with the laying of flowers in front of the disaster site.
Criticism over significant sentence reductions for Aricell CEO and others
At the event, attendees voiced unanimous concern over the judiciary's rulings regarding those held responsible. Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the first trial, but his sentence was significantly reduced to 4 years in the appellate trial on April 22.
The bereaved families and the committee expressed a critical stance regarding the appellate court's decision to treat civil settlements with the families as a major factor for sentencing leniency. They argued that if the market is signaled that public responsibility for violating safety and health obligations by management can be diminished through monetary settlements, it could have a negative impact on future safety investments and improvements in industrial workplaces.
Song Sung-young, co-representative of the Aricell Disaster Countermeasure Committee, condemned the ruling in his opening remarks, stating, "The Aricell disaster is a tragedy created by our society, which has prioritized profit over workers' lives and outsourced risk. The appellate court’s ruling kills the victims twice and is a vicious, life-disregarding decision that turns a blind eye to the pain of the bereaved families."
Park Joong-eon, the general manager and son of Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan, who was also indicted, had his sentence reduced to 7 years in the appellate court as well. The case is currently awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Court. Udaya Rai, head of the Migrant Workers' Union, held a press conference in front of the Supreme Court on the 17th, stating, "It is hard to accept that the person responsible for the deaths of 23 people had their sentence reduced by 11 years. The Supreme Court's ruling will serve as a standard for how heavily the lives of migrant workers are valued."
Issue of recovering remains also raised
The issue of recovering the remains is also a major pending matter consistently raised by the bereaved families. Lee Soon-hee, co-representative of the Aricell Industrial Disaster Victims' Families Association, said during her remarks at the memorial, "Please help us until the remains are fully recovered. They died working in a foreign land, and I just want to find even a fingernail so I can send them off in peace."
On the 22nd, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the bereaved families held a meeting with relevant agencies at the provincial office to discuss follow-up measures for the re-recovery of the Aricell disaster victims' remains. It is reported that officials from Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's forensic team, and the Aricell Disaster Countermeasure Committee attended the meeting to share their opinions.
After finishing the official ceremony outside the factory gate, the families and attendees moved to an altar set up in front of an abandoned building on the factory grounds. They offered food that the victims enjoyed during their lives and laid white chrysanthemums, concluding the final part of the memorial service.
After laying the flowers, words of comfort were exchanged among the families of industrial accident victims. Jang Yeon-mi, mother of the late MBC weather caster Oh Yo-anna, who passed away due to workplace bullying and is a member of the industrial disaster victims' network 'Again', and Kim Mi-sook, director of the Kim Yong-gyun Foundation, visited to offer their condolences to the Aricell families. Jang Yeon-mi embraced Representative Lee Soon-hee, comforting her by saying, "You must hold on; you have to find a way to endure."