Gym owner acquitted after member trapped under 70-kg barbell

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 dam