"Thinking 'Let's all die together...' Elderly man in his 70s sentenced to prison for setting fire in a boarding room housing dozens at dawn"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 70s who set fire to a lodging house building where dozens of people lived, thinking "Let's all die together," was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 11th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Kim Seon-il) recently sentenced A (71), who was indicted for arson of an inhabited building under the Criminal Act, to two years in prison.

Earlier, A was brought to trial on charges of tearing a calendar, lighting it on fire with a lighter, and throwing it on the floor in his room in a lodging house building in Jung-gu, Seoul, where about 30 people including himself lived, around 5:30 a.m. on June 1.

It was investigated that he decided to set the fire with the thought, "My being alive is of no help, so let's all die together." The fire he started spread along the wallpaper to the entrance door and other areas. Fortunately, only part of the building was damaged, and no casualties occurred.

Article 164 (Arson of an inhabited building, etc.) Paragraph 1 of the current Criminal Act stipulates, "Anyone who sets fire to a building used as a residence or a building where people are present, or to a train, tram, automobile, ship, aircraft, or underground mining facility shall be punished by life imprisonment or imprisonment for not less than three years."

The court stated, "The defendant admitted to the crime and has no prior record of similar offenses," and added, "He has suffered from mental health issues such as depression for several years, and this condition appears to have partly influenced the crime."

The court further said, "The defendant's crime could have caused serious casualties and property damage. Nevertheless, he committed the crime without concern for the safety and lives of other residents in the building, so the responsibility is by no means light," and added, "The sentence was determined by comprehensively considering factors such as age, character, environment, family relationships, motive, and means of the crime."

As neither the prosecutor nor A appealed, this verdict became final.

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