A South Korean court has acquitted the owner and a trainer at a fitness club in Busan over the death of a gym member who was trapped beneath a 70-kilogram barbell while bench pressing, according to local media reports Monday
The ruling was handed down earlier this month by the Busan Western District Court
The victim lost consciousness after becoming pinned under the barbell for about 25 minutes during a bench press exercise at the gym in December 2025. He died about a week later from brain damage due to suffocation
Prosecutors charged the gym owner with professional negligence resulting in death, arguing that the facility failed to employ a certified sports instructor as required by law and did not properly supervise the gym by assigning staff to monitor users or by camera
The trainer was accused of failing to adequately monitor the member’s condition and provide appropriate emergency assistance
The court, however, ruled that prosecutors failed to prove a causal link between the alleged negligence and the victim’s death
Although the Installation and Utilization of Sports Facilities Act requires fitness centers to employ at least one certified sports instructor, the court said it could not conclude that the accident would have been prevented had such an instructor been present
“Even if the gym had a legal duty to employ a sports instructor, it cannot be concluded that the accident would have been prevented had one been present at the time,” the court said, adding that a causal relationship between the violation and the victim’s death had not been established
The court also acquitted the trainer, saying fitness centers are not subject to the same level of monitoring obligations as swimming pools and that prosecutors failed to prove any causal link between the alleged negligence and the victim’s death
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