"Are You Betraying Me? Let's Die Together" Former Busan Oncheon Market Prosperity Association Chairman Sets Fire to Member's Body and Flees

Busan Dongnae Police Station, Suspect Pursuit... 1 Person with Full-Body Burns, 2 Hospitalized for Smoke Inhalation

At around 1:29 PM on the 17th, the former union president came to the Oncheon Market Merchants' Association office in Dongnae-gu, Busan, set fire, and fled. Firefighters who arrived urgently extinguished the fire in about 18 minutes. [Image source=Busan Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A shocking incident occurred in Busan where a former market association president of a traditional market undergoing redevelopment set fire to a union member's body and fled.

According to the Dongnae Police Station in Busan, during the redevelopment process aimed at modernizing Oncheon Market in Dongnae-gu, Busan, former market association president A (male, in his 60s), who was under investigation after writing a confession letter admitting to various corrupt practices, stormed into the Oncheon Market Association office at 1:29 p.m. on the 17th carrying an inflammable substance.

At that time, four members were holding a meeting in the association office, and A shouted "Let's die together," sprayed the inflammable substance on association executive B, and set it on fire with a lighter.

The fire quickly spread, causing B to suffer burns over his entire body, and two other union members inhaled smoke and were transported to the hospital.

The police, who responded to the 112 emergency call, are currently pursuing A, who fled the scene, and are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident.

The fire also burned various documents and other materials in the office.

Established in 2011, the union had been promoting a project to build two 34-story residential-commercial complex buildings with an investment of 200 billion won. However, A, the former union president and market association president, was suspected of mismanaging the project by excessively inflating security service fees and squandering association assets.

The union was in the process of electing a new market association president and trying to normalize the project when this incident occurred.

According to police and union officials, A is believed to have committed the crime because he felt betrayed by B, a former subordinate, who excluded him from the upcoming market association president election.

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