Arson Suspect in Mapo Station Appears for Detention Hearing: "I Wanted to Publicize Divorce Lawsuit Outcome"

The decision on whether to detain a man in his 60s, who is accused of setting fire to a Seoul Subway Line 5 train (arson causing injury to a train in operation), could be made as early as today.

A man in his 60s who set fire inside a Seoul Subway Line 5 train appeared at the Seoul Southern District Court on June 2 for a warrant hearing. 2025.06.02 Photo by Yoon Dongju

On June 2, at around 10:05 a.m., Won appeared at the Seoul Southern District Court for a pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) presided over by Judge Lee Younggwang, who is in charge of warrants. When asked by reporters, "Did you commit the crime to publicize the outcome of your lawsuit?" Won responded, "Yes." He did not answer other questions such as, "Did you plan the arson in advance?" or "How did you buy gasoline at the gas station?"

On May 31, at around 8:43 a.m., Won poured gasoline inside a train running through the tunnel section between Yeouinaru Station and Mapo Station and set fire to clothing. As a result, 23 people were transported due to smoke inhalation and other reasons, and one subway car was partially burned, causing approximately 330 million won in property damage.

After being arrested at the scene, Won reportedly told police that he committed the crime out of dissatisfaction with his divorce lawsuit. On his way to court, a person claiming to be Won's older brother appeared and said, "The verdict for the second trial of Won's divorce case was recently delivered, and the amount of alimony was set too high, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction."

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