Samjung executives arrested after construction site fire kills six workers

Busan police concluded that welding had been the direct cause of a fire that broke out at the construction site of the Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan on Feb. 14 that killed six workers. Police disclosed the pictured first floor, where the welding took place, on April 7. [YONHAP] Six managers were arrested on Friday in connection with a fire that killed six workers at a Busan construction site in February, the city's police said Monday. The fire broke out in a water facility in the basement of the under-construction Banyan Tree luxury resort on the morning of Feb. 14, ignited by sparks from welding activity on the ground floor above, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a joint briefing. A subcontractor was cutting stainless steel pipes with a grinder and welding with argon on the ground floor, sending sparks through the floor and, subsequently, the basement's ceiling, according to the police. Related ArticleFamilies of workers killed in Busan fire accuse construction company of cutting corners on safetyJoint investigation launched into deadly fire at hotel construction site in BusanSix dead, 25 injured in blaze at Banyan Tree hotel construction site in Busan The ground floor was not equipped with smoke detectors at the time, and sprinklers that were installed on both the ground and basement floors failed to operate because they were not connected to a water supply, according to the police. The holes through which the sparks traveled also should've been covered or sealed, the police said. The fire was extinguished around two hours after a level 1 response was issued, fire authorities said. Six workers, however, would later die of carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 25 suffered injuries. The resort, located in Haeundae District, Busan, had been scheduled to open in May. Those arrested include Samjung Enterprise’s Park Jung-oh and his son, Samjung E&C CEO Park Sang-cheon, the heads of two of the contractors in charge of the Busan project. The group is accused of neglecting to install necessary safety equipment that would've prevented the blaze, the Busan police said, and have been detained on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Fifteen other involved individuals have been indicted on charges including occupational negligence but are not yet detained. “Large-scale construction was still underway on the day of the fire, despite the building being cleared and having received approval for use of fire safety facilities,” said Han Dong-hoon, chief of the Busan police’s criminal investigation unit. "The site should have been thoroughly cleared for a proper approval. But inspections were still taking place as of the 11th, which is a contradiction,” Han added. The police said they would complete their investigation into outstanding questions, including why authorities cleared the construction site for operation and whether laws were violated during its approval process, by the end of April. BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]

Samjung executives arrested after construction site fire kills six workers Published: 07 Apr. 2025, 17:09 KIM JU-YEON [email protected] Busan police concluded that welding had been the direct cause of a fire that broke out at the construction site of the Banyan Tree Haeundae Busan on Feb. 14 that killed six workers.

Police disclosed the pictured first floor, where the welding took place, on April 7. [YONHAP] Six managers were arrested on Friday in connection with a fire that killed six workers at a Busan construction site in February, the city's police said Monday. The fire broke out in a water facility in the basement of the under-construction Banyan Tree luxury resort on the morning of Feb.

14, ignited by sparks from welding activity on the ground floor above, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a joint briefing. A subcontractor was cutting stainless steel pipes with a grinder and welding with argon on the ground floor, sending sparks through the floor and, subsequently, the basement's ceiling, according to the police. Related Article Families of workers killed in Busan fire accuse construction company of cutting corners on safety Joint investigation launched into deadly fire at hotel construction site in Busan Six dead, 25 injured in blaze at Banyan Tree hotel construction site in Busan The ground floor was not equipped with smoke detectors at the time, and sprinklers that were installed on both the ground and basement floors failed to operate because they were not connected to a water supply, according to the police.

The holes through which the sparks traveled also should've been covered or sealed, the police said. The fire was extinguished around two hours after a level 1 response was issued, fire authorities said. Six workers, however, would later die of carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 25 suffered injuries.

The resort, located in Haeundae District, Busan, had been scheduled to open in May. Those arrested include Samjung Enterprise’s Park Jung-oh and his son, Samjung E&C CEO Park Sang-cheon, the heads of two of the contractors in charge of the Busan project. The group is accused of neglecting to install necessary safety equipment that would've prevented the blaze, the Busan police said, and have been detained on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Fifteen other involved individuals have been indicted on charges including occupational negligence but are not yet detained. “Large-scale construction was still underway on the day of the fire, despite the building being cleared and having received approval for use of fire safety facilities,” said Han Dong-hoon, chief of the Busan police’s criminal investigation unit. "The site should have been thoroughly cleared for a proper approval.

But inspections were still taking place as of the 11th, which is a contradiction,” Han added. The police said they would complete their investigation into outstanding questions, including why authorities cleared the construction site for operation and whether laws were violated during its approval process, by the end of April. BY KIM JU-YEON [ [email protected] ] var admarutag = admarutag || {} admarutag.

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