Former SK, Aekyung CEOs sentenced to prison for humidifier sterilizer deaths

Organizations supporting victims of a toxic humidifier sterilizer hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Former executives involved in the deadly humidifier sterilizer case received a guilty verdict during their second trial on Thursday, overturning the initial acquittal from the first trial.

The Seoul High Court issued a four-year prison sentence to both individuals — Hong Ji-ho, the former CEO of SK Chemicals, and Ahn Yong-chan, the former CEO of Aekyung Industrial — but they were not immediately taken into custody.

The charges centered around the manufacturing and sale of Humidifier Mate, a humidifier sterilizer alleged to contain harmful chemicals, during the early 2000s.

Those chemical components have been used in the product since 1994, but first gained public attention in 2011 after being linked to reported cases of respiratory illness.

As of Dec. 31, data from a portal supporting victims of the humidifier disinfectant case indicates that 5,691 individuals are eligible for support. Among them, the reported fatalities stand at 1,262.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]