"Apartment Fire Threat by 30s North Korean Defector... Police SWAT Team Enters Rooftop"

Threatened with a Weapon... Arrested in the Act

A man in his 30s, a North Korean defector, was arrested after threatening arson and confronting police at an apartment in Sohadong, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi Province.

The Gwangmyeong Police Station in Gyeonggi arrested Mr. A on the spot at around 2:50 p.m. on the 17th on charges of obstructing official duties. Earlier that day, at around 11:40 a.m., a report was received that Mr. A, a North Korean defector, was threatening to set fire inside an apartment in Sohadong, Gwangmyeong-si.

Police SWAT team entering the apartment interior [Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A reportedly sprayed a liquid presumed to be a flammable substance inside the apartment and was holding a weapon in both hands during the incident. No other family members were present inside the apartment except Mr. A.

Previously, the police had separated Mr. A, his wife, and their young child following a domestic violence incident at Mr. A’s home the day before. On the following day, a police officer in charge of North Korean defectors visited Mr. A’s home in connection with the case, and when Mr. A threatened arson, the officer called 112.

The police cut off the gas supply to the apartment and evacuated residents, while setting up air mats on the ground to prepare for any emergencies.

Police Special Forces Preparing to Enter on the Rooftop
Photo by Yonhap News

During the standoff with the police, Mr. A locked the front door, sat on the veranda railing, and threw household items outside. He continued to confront the police, demanding, "Bring my child."

Later, a police SWAT team was deployed to the scene. Taking advantage of a moment when Mr. A was talking with Gwangmyeong police officers, the SWAT team entered through the open veranda window and apprehended him. The police plan to investigate the details of the incident with Mr. A and consider whether to request an arrest warrant.

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