Pohang: A court ruled Thursday that it is difficult to recognize the criminal liability of officials involved in Pohang's geothermal power plant project in connection with the southeastern city's fatal earthquake in 2017.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Pohang, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on November 15, 2017, followed by a magnitude 4.6 aftershock on February 11, 2018. The earthquakes resulted in the death of one person, injuries to 80 others, and significant property damage. Subsequently, the prosecution indicted five officials associated with the geothermal power plant project on charges of negligence. The prosecution argued that the project should have been suspended and its risks assessed following a magnitude 3.1 earthquake on April 15, 2017.
However, the Pohang branch of the Daegu District Court acquitted all five defendants, dismissing the prosecution's claims. The court stated that specific professional negligence had to be established beyond a reasonable doubt to hold the defendants criminally accountable. Furthermore, it concluded that a substantial causal relationship between the geothermal power project and the earthquake could not be demonstrated.
Meanwhile, a separate civil lawsuit concerning the earthquakes and the geothermal power plant project is still ongoing.