The site manager responsible for the embankment construction of Miho Bridge, identified as the cause of the Cheongju Osong underground tunnel flood that resulted in 14 deaths, received a six-year prison sentence from the Supreme Court on the 15th.
The second division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Park Young-jae) dismissed the appeals from both the site manager of the Miho Bridge expansion project, Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of negligent homicide, evidence tampering, and aiding the use of forged evidence, and the prosecution, thereby confirming the second trial's ruling. Mr. A was previously sentenced to six years in prison in the second trial.
The Osong disaster occurred on July 15, 2023, when heavy rainfall caused a temporary embankment on the Miho River in Osong, Chungbuk, to collapse, resulting in floodwaters covering the nearby Gungpyeong 2 underground tunnel, submerging 17 vehicles. This incident led to 14 fatalities.
Mr. A has been indicted for demolishing the existing embankment without government approval for convenience during the Miho Bridge expansion project and for poorly constructing and managing the temporary embankment, causing numerous casualties. According to the prosecution, the temporary embankment in question was built 1.14 meters lower than legal standards and 3.3 meters lower than the existing embankment. Additionally, Mr. A is accused of instructing the forgery of documents to make it appear as though there had been construction plans or blueprints from the time the temporary embankment was built, right after the incident occurred.
The first trial court acknowledged most of the charges against Mr. A and sentenced him to seven years and six months in prison. However, it deemed him not guilty on some counts of the charge of aiding the use of forged evidence.
The first trial court stated, 'If the temporary embankment had been built according to the specifications of the existing embankment or if repairs had been made the day before the incident, such an accident would not have occurred,' adding, 'This disaster was not caused by natural disasters but by the serious negligence of the defendants.' Mr. A appealed the first trial ruling.
The second trial court reduced Mr. A’s sentence to six years. The second trial court acknowledged guilt for most charges, similar to the first trial, but noted that 'it's difficult to view this accident as solely caused by Mr. A's wrongdoing.'
Both the prosecution and Mr. A appealed the second trial ruling. However, the Supreme Court found no issues with the second trial's judgment.