40s Sentenced to Prison for Setting Apartment on Fire in a Fit of Rage After Fighting with Boyfriend

A woman in her 40s who set fire in a fit of anger after arguing with her boyfriend early in the morning at an apartment, causing damage to neighbors, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 12 (Chief Judge Lee Jong-chae) recently sentenced Lee, who was tried on charges of arson and injury to a building, to 2 years and 6 months in prison.

Lee set fire to clothes in her home in an apartment in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, around 4:30 a.m. on February 11 last year after having an argument with her boyfriend and getting angry.

The flames spread, burning some units in the apartment, and 10 neighbors, including a 63-year-old man living upstairs who inhaled smoke, suffered injuries such as acute bronchitis and laryngitis.

At the time of the fire, some residents were trapped as they could not evacuate on their own and were rescued, and 23 fire trucks were dispatched to completely extinguish the fire after about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The court said, "Arson of a building where people reside is a crime that can cause serious damage to the lives and property of innocent many, and its social risk is very high," adding, "Since apartment complexes house multiple households together, the risk of causing serious human and property damage is very high, making severe punishment inevitable."

It added, "However, considering that the defendant admitted the facts and committed the crime somewhat impulsively while intoxicated, that the fire was extinguished early and the injuries to the victims were relatively minor, and that the defendant paid some amount to the victims for damage recovery, the sentence was determined."

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