"Residents Ignored It"‥ Ok-gye Wildfire Arsonist Admits to Crime

Torch Used to Set Fire to Houses... Police Seize Tools Used in Crime

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] A man in his 60s arrested on suspicion of starting a wildfire in Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, in the early hours of the 5th, was found to have committed the crime due to feeling "disrespected."

According to the Gangneung Police Station, A (60), a resident of Namyang-ri, Okgye-myeon, who was arrested on arson charges, admitted during police questioning, "I committed the crime because the residents had disrespected me for years."

Earlier, at around 1:07 a.m. that day, police responded to a report from a nearby resident stating, "A is setting fires with a torch," and arrested A on the spot.

The police confiscated evidence including a helmet, torch, and axe from A at the time of arrest.

The police are investigating the exact circumstances, believing that A started the fire using a torch and other tools.

Meanwhile, it is known that A is the son of B (86, female), who died after falling during evacuation from the wildfire and being transported to a hospital. The police are verifying the mother-son relationship between them.

B was using a walking aid and following residents to evacuate to a senior citizens' center when she fell in a field and was taken to the hospital by the 119 emergency team but passed away around 6 a.m. that day.

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