▲ Chung Do-won (C), chairman of Sampyo Group, appears for a court hearing for his trial on charges of violating a workplace disaster law in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, on Feb. 10, 2026. (Yonhap)

Sampyo Group chairman-industrial accident

Sampyo Group chairman acquitted in 1st workplace disaster law case

UIJEONGBU, South Korea, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- A court on Tuesday acquitted the chairman of a construction materials group of violating a workplace disaster law following a deadly quarry landslide that claimed three lives in 2022.

Prosecutors had sought a four-year prison term for Chung Do-won, chairman of Sampyo Group, on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for allegedly failing to comply with safety requirements, marking the first case under the law that went into effect in early 2022.

On January 29, 2022, a landslide at a quarry slope operated by Sampyo Industry in Yangju, north of Seoul, left three workers dead, just two days after the law went into force.

The Uijeongbu District Court found Chung not guilty, ruling that he could not be clearly identified as a person in a position to effectively carry out duties stipulated by the law as argued by the prosecution.

It also found former Sampyo Industry CEO Lee Jong-shin, as well as the company itself, not guilty in the case.

Under the law, owners and CEOs of companies can face a minimum one-year prison sentence or a fine of up to 1 billion won (US$687,000) in the event of serious workplace disasters.

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