Calls grow for leniency for Sri Lankan over oil storage fire

By Kim Hyun-bin

Calls are growing for leniency toward a Sri Lankan migrant worker, who launched a sky lantern that accidentally triggered a recent massive explosion at an oil storage facility, as his act was unintentional.

Many say it is the facility operator that should be held accountable for poor safety management.

The 27-year-old Sri Lankan launched the sky lantern Sunday morning after picking it up at a tunnel construction site in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where he worked. The lantern was one of 80 lanterns used in an event at a nearby elementary school the previous day.

The lantern reached to the oil storage and started a grass fire that eventually led to the explosion of a storage tank. Police detained him Monday and planned to request an arrest warrant for him.

Following his detention, over 100 petitions have been posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website calling for leniency. Most of the petitioners said the law enforcement authorities and those in charge of the facility management are passing the buck to the migrant worker.

“The fire was caused not by an individual's fault but a systemic problem. If an oil tank was blown up by only a 300-won paper lantern, the blame should be put on those in charge of safety management of the facility,” one petitioner wrote. “Even if he is partially responsible, arrest is too harsh.”

Another claimed the nation should rather give him a prize because “he disclosed a weak point of the nation's oil storage facilities and thus saved the lives of many Koreans.”

If convicted of “gross negligence,” the Sri Lankan could face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won ($17,600).

The police requested the prosecution ask a local court to issue an arrest warrant for him Wednesday, but amid the criticism, the prosecution rejected the request and decided to carry out its investigation without physical detention.

Some experts also point out the fault of Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp., which owns and operates the oil storage facility, saying there might not have been such a catastrophe if it had managed the facility properly.

The corporation failed to notice the fire in its initial stages and prevent the explosion. No fire sensors were installed around the hazardous oil tanks.

According to the corporation's own regulations, it had to operate and put on standby its own firefighters and emergency engineer force at all times ― a rule it did not abide by.

Under the relevant law, anyone that violates the safety guideline could face up to three years in prison or a 30 million won fine.

“The lantern fell on the grass and there was smoke for 18 minutes, but the company was not able to realize it and quickly deploy its own firefighters. It took no immediate emergency actions,” Rep. Hong Chul-ho of the Liberty Korea Party said.