A 20-Year-Old Who Set Fire to an Apartment After Arguing with Their Partner: What Did the Court Decide?

70s Security Guard Burned, Over 50 Neighbors Evacuated
Sentenced to 2 Years 6 Months Imprisonment with 4 Years Probation

A woman in her 20s who set fire to an apartment, burning 14 households after an argument with her partner, was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The 12th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Sang-gyu) announced on the 18th that A (25), who was indicted on charges of arson causing injury to a building, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year suspension.

A was brought to trial for allegedly setting fire to a unit on the 4th floor of an apartment in Buk-gu, Gwangju, at around 7:53 a.m. on January 13.

At the time, A, who was intoxicated, argued with her partner B, claiming that B was treating her carelessly, and threatened to burn all of B’s favorite clothes, setting fire to a pair of jeans with a lighter.

The fire, which started in the closet, quickly engulfed the interior of the unit and spread throughout the apartment, burning 13 households as well as the exterior walls and corridors.

As a result, about 50 neighbors evacuated in a commotion, and a 70-year-old apartment security guard who tried to extinguish the fire suffered burns. The fire was completely extinguished within 20 minutes.

The court stated, “Arson is a crime with a high risk that can cause serious damage to the lives and property of innocent people. Considering that the defendant’s crime could have caused massive casualties, the guilt is by no means light.”

It added, “However, we took into account that the injured security guard and 10 victims do not wish to punish the defendant, the injuries to the victims are relatively minor, and the defendant has no prior convictions for similar crimes or punishments exceeding fines,” explaining the reasons for the sentencing.

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