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Feb. 17 fire in Insa-dong food alley caused by arson: police

Feb. 17 fire in Insa-dong food alley caused by arson: police

Posted March. 09, 2013 00:18,   

한국어

The fire that broke out Feb. 17 at "Meokja Golmok," a popular food alley in Seoul’s Insa-dong neighborhood, was caused by arson, according to police Friday.

The suspected arsonist was identified as a 52-year-old man who is also known to have set on fire tents installed by laid-off SsangYong Motors employees Sunday for a sit-in rally right by Seoul`s Daehanmun Gate of Deoksu Palace.

Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul said that while investigating the suspect, who was arrested for allegedly setting the tents on fire, police also confirmed that he set fire to four sites in central Seoul, including the food alley, as well as the sit-in rally site.

While drinking at a bar at Insa-dong on Feb. 17, police said, the suspect went up to a changing room on the second floor, gathered waste paper and clothing of the bar staff, and set fire to them with a disposable lighter. He then went up to the 22nd floor of the nearby Jongno Tower and took pictures of the fire scene. As the fire grew larger than he expected, he pushed an alarm bell at Jongno Tower four times due to fear.

The fire reduced 11 buildings and 23 stores of the Insa-dong neighborhood to ashes. On March 1, he entered the changing room for staff at a fastfood restaurant in Myeongdong and set a garbage can on fire.

The suspect told police, “When I drank, I would hear a voice saying `There are dirty things in front of you, and you must set them on fire.`" He is known to have committed all of his arson acts under influence of alcohol. He also has a record of hospitalization for 10 days in 2004, when he displayed symptoms of impulse control disorder.



ramblas@donga.com