SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The chief executive of a South Korean battery maker was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a plant fire in June last year that claimed 23 lives, multiple media outlets said Tuesday.
The Suwon District Court imprisoned Park Soon-kwan, chief of lithium battery manufacturer Aricell, for the violation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Park Joong-eon, Park's son and Aricell's head of operations, was also sentenced to 15 years in jail for the same laws' violation.
Aricell continued to manipulate test samples since it began to supply battery products for the military in 2021 in a bid to illegally pass quality inspections.
After failing to pass the quality inspection in April last year, Aricell began to excessively manufacture battery products and make twice as much as its daily average production volume.
The battery factory fire killed 23 workers, including 17 Chinese nationals, and injured nine others. ■
