DAEJEON — The head of a Daejeon manufacturer and five of its employees faced arrest warrant hearings on the 8th over a factory fire that killed 14 workers and injured 60, six months after the accident.
Judge Song Seon-yang of the Daejeon District Court, who handles arrest warrants, questioned Son Ju-hwan, chief executive of Anjeon Industrial, on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death and injury and of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The court also held hearings for five company executives, employees and unit managers suspected of professional negligence resulting in death and injury and of destroying evidence. Decisions on whether to issue the warrants were expected late that night or early the following morning.
Son and the five others are accused of failing to properly manage safety at the Anjeon Industrial plant in Daejeon's Daedeok District, where the fire broke out on March 20 this year. The blaze killed 14 employees and injured 60.
A police investigation found that a fire alarm receiver installed inside the plant had been deliberately disabled. A rest area in the factory where many of the victims were found had also been illegally expanded without a permit.
Some employees forged or altered documents and other evidence to shield Son from charges under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, according to police. They manipulated records to make it appear that safety measures had been in place before the fire.
Police are investigating 14 people in total. Son and seven other executives and employees were initially booked on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, and police later booked six more people, including company staff and an interior contractor, on suspicion of violating the fire safety facilities law and of destroying evidence.
