Photo : KBS News
Prosecutors have sought prison sentences for firefighters standing trial for fabricating official documents related to the deadly flooding of an underpass in Osong-eup in Cheongju, North Chungcheong that killed 14 people.
The prosecution on Monday requested the Cheongju District Court to hand down a two-year prison sentence for former chief of the Cheongju West Fire Station, Seo Jeong-il and a one-and-a-half sentence for a section chief in the same fire station for creating false public documents.
Prosecutors said the accused’s actions must be dealt with in a stern manner as the act of fabricating official documents by civil servants to conceal the truth cause confusion in efforts to get to the bottom of incidents.
Prosecutors said they are seeking prison sentences for the two as they had attempted to reduce accountability for the flooding after providing complex explanations on their actions.
The Osong underpass flooding occurred on July 15 of last year after some six tons of water from the Miho River inundated the underpass following the collapse of banks from days of heavy rainfall.
The flooding killed 14 people and left 17 vehicles under water.
Thirty people are standing trial for the incident, including officials of the police, fire agency and municipal governments.