Supreme Court overturns conviction of Aekyung and SK Chemicals for 'humidifier disinfectant'...a partial acquittal

The Supreme Court overturned a second trial ruling that sentenced SK Chemicals and former representatives of Aekyung Industrial Co., who were accused of making and selling humidifier disinfectants, to imprisonment.

The Supreme Court today (26th) returned the case to the Seoul High Court, breaking the original ruling that sentenced Hong Ji-ho, former CEO of SK Chemical, and Ahn Yong-chan, former CEO of Aekyung Industrial, to four years in prison, respectively, on charges of professional negligence.

The Supreme Court said it is difficult to say that Hong and others knew that various types of humidifier disinfectants could affect them in combination, causing victims to die or injure themselves.

Subsequently, the second trial ruling explained the reason for the destruction, saying it did not properly judge whether a significant causal relationship was recognized between the former CEO Hong and the victims' deaths and injuries.

Former CEO Hong and Ahn were put on trial on charges of causing damage to disinfectants by engaging in manufacturing and selling humidifier disinfectant raw materials such as CMIT and MIT, even though they knew they were harmful.

Earlier, the first trial court acquitted him, but the second trial sentenced former CEO Hong and others to imprisonment, believing that the causal relationship between the harmful ingredients and human damage was proven.