Man in 30s Arrested for Arson at Jogyesa Daeungjeon While Intoxicated Faces Detention Decision

A man in his 30s who set fire near the Daeungjeon Hall of Jogyesa Temple was arrested by the police. On the 19th, the Jongno Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested A (35) on the spot and are investigating him on charges of setting fire near the Daeungjeon Hall of Jogyesa Temple and damaging part of the mural. Around 2 a.m. that day, A, intoxicated, set fire to a bag soaked with a volatile substance near the Daeungjeon Hall building of Jogyesa Temple and was caught by the police who responded to the report. The photo shows Jogye Order officials inspecting the scorched outer wall of the Daeungjeon Hall caused by A's arson that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A man in his 30s who attempted to set fire to the Daeungjeon Hall at Jogyesa Temple while intoxicated is now facing possible detention.

At 2 p.m. on the 20th, Judge Kim Seong-hoon, the duty judge at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant substantive examination) for Song Mo (35), who is accused of attempted arson of an occupied building, to consider the necessity of detention. The decision on detention is expected to be made as early as that afternoon.

Mr. A is accused of entering Jogyesa Temple around 2 a.m. the previous day while intoxicated and setting fire to his bag using lighter fluid near the exterior wall of the Daeungjeon building. He was arrested by police who responded to the report.

The fire was extinguished within five minutes by a security guard on duty. However, as Mr. A’s bag burned, part of the mural painted on the exterior wall of the Daeungjeon building was scorched. It is reported that the fire did not directly spread to the mural.

At the time of the incident, Mr. A was intoxicated, and the police initially detained him in a holding cell before resuming the investigation in the afternoon of the same day. During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he could not remember due to intoxication.

The police are also considering applying charges under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act against Mr. A. If charged under this act, Mr. A could face up to life imprisonment. The Cultural Heritage Protection Act stipulates that those who commit arson against nationally designated cultural properties can be punished under Article 165 of the Criminal Act for arson of public buildings. According to Article 165 of the Criminal Act, arson causing damage to public buildings can result in life imprisonment or imprisonment for three years or more.

Jogyesa Temple is located in the heart of Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is the head temple and main headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, housing the General Affairs Office and the Central Council. The Daeungjeon Hall at Jogyesa is designated as Seoul City Tangible Cultural Property No. 127, and next to the Daeungjeon is Baeksong, Natural Monument No. 9.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.