”Heat stroke death” at construction site... First ruling in South Korea admitting violation of ”Major Disaster Law”

The representative of a former contractor who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on Punishment of Serious Accidents, etc. (Serious Accident Punishment Act) for failing to provide safety protection for a worker who died of heatstroke has received a suspended prison sentence.
On the 13th, the Daejeon District Court sentenced Defendant A, the CEO of the former contracting company, to one year in prison with two years of probation.
Defendant B, the site manager of a former contractor who was indicted on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act, was not disciplined.
The court sentenced the company to eight months in prison with two years of probation, and fined the former contractor 80 million won (approximately JPY 8.3 million) and the subcontractor 6 million won (approximately JPY 620,000).
Defendant A was a subcontractor worker who was pouring concrete at a new building construction site in Yoo Sun District, Daejeon City in July 2022, when the heatwaves continued.
The company was indicted on suspicion of failing to fulfill its obligations to ensure the safety and health of on-site workers in connection with an incident in which a worker died of heatstroke.
The prosecution argued that defendant A did not check for harmful or dangerous factors and made a mistake in preparing for a serious industrial accident.
The site manager was indicted on charges of not providing the minimum rest time, rest areas, drinking water, etc. to the workers who were working in the scorching heat.
The site manager of the subcontractor was also indicted, but the charges were dismissed because he died of a chronic illness during the trial.
The prosecution indicted defendant A and others in July of last year, accusing them of "workers who died of heatstroke.
"This is the first case in which the president of a former contractor company has been indicted under the Serious Accident Punishment Act in relation to the protection of the rights of the victims," the court said.
"Despite the implementation of measures to prevent industrial accidents, unfortunate accidents continue, and they must be severely punished," he said. "The defendants have admitted to the charges, and we hope that the victims will settle things amicably with their families."
The fact that the matter was settled negotiated and the bereaved families do not wish for punishment was taken into consideration as a favorable circumstance."