CEO given suspended prison term

[Anchor]

In 2022, a young worker in their 20s died in an accident at a bakery factory of an SPC affiliate, getting caught in a machine.

In connection with this incident, Kang Dong-seok, the then CEO of SPL, was indicted on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and today (1.21), he received a suspended prison sentence in the first trial.

Reporter Kim Bo-dam has the details.

[Report]

In October 2022, a worker in their 20s died at the bakery factory of SPL, an SPC affiliate.

The accident occurred when the worker got caught in a machine that mixes sandwich sauce.

The prosecution's investigation revealed that there had already been two similar accidents in the same year.

The prosecution determined that the company had neglected to take measures to prevent recurrence and indicted Kang Dong-seok, the then CEO of SPL, on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Kang, who resigned a month after the indictment, remained tight-lipped even during the sentencing trial.

[Kang Dong-seok/Former CEO of SPL: "(Do you still think you are innocent?) ... (Do you have any words for the bereaved families today?) ..."]

The first trial court sentenced Kang to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

The court stated, "As a person who was responsible for the safety and management, Kang failed to establish fundamental preventive measures to avoid similar accidents, such as not installing safety covers on the mixing machine where the fatal accident occurred."

Previously, the prosecution had sought a three-year prison sentence for Kang and a fine of 300 million won for the SPL corporation on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Fellow workers expressed disappointment with the court's ruling, stating that the company's safety management measures are still inadequate.

[Kim Jeong-seok/SPL Branch Vice Chair of the Korean Chemical, Textile and Food Workers' Union: "Safety training is being conducted as a mere formality, even to this day. And we are always anxious about when such an accident might happen again."]

Kang's side stated that they plan to decide whether to appeal after reviewing the judgment, while SPC has not issued a separate statement.

This is KBS News, Kim Bo-dam.