大火烧了5小时，3.5万个锂电池被烧光，17名中国公民遇难！韩国企业负责人父子均被判刑，儿子被罚100万韩元

Core Viewpoint - The Suwon District Court in South Korea sentenced the representative of the company involved in the Hwaseong battery factory fire to 15 years in prison, marking the highest penalty since the implementation of the Serious Disaster Punishment Act in 2022, due to severe violations of safety regulations leading to the deaths of 23 individuals, including 17 Chinese nationals [1][2]. Group 1: Incident Overview - The fire at the Hwaseong battery manufacturing plant occurred on June 24, 2024, resulting in 23 fatalities and 8 injuries, with the majority of the deceased being foreign workers from China [4][5]. - The fire was exacerbated by the presence of over 35,000 lithium batteries, which ignited and caused a rapid spread of flames and smoke, ultimately leading to a catastrophic situation where employees could not escape in time [4][5]. Group 2: Legal and Regulatory Actions - The court found the company representative, Park Chun-gwan, guilty of violating the Serious Disaster Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act, establishing a direct causal link between his negligence and the employee deaths [1][2]. - Park's son, who served as the general manager, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 1 million KRW (approximately 5,100 RMB) for similar violations [1]. Group 3: Company Practices and Investigations - Investigations revealed that the company had been manipulating testing data since 2021 to pass safety inspections for products supplied to the South Korean military, leading to a significant increase in defective products and ultimately the fire incident [2]. - The company was found to have engaged in substandard manufacturing practices, including product swapping during quality checks, which contributed to the production of faulty batteries [1][2].