'Donnaegi Yutnori' Arson Man... Deceased Was Insurance Beneficiary

A man who set fire to a neighbor’s body during a money-stakes Yutnori game and killed him was found to have designated himself as the beneficiary and taken out a life insurance policy in the victim’s name.

The Goheung Police Station in Jeollanam-do announced on the 11th, as reported by Yonhap News Agency, that they plan to reapply for an arrest warrant for Mr. A, a man in his 60s, who has been booked on murder charges. The police regard this as a premeditated murder aimed at claiming the death insurance money and decided to reapply for the arrest warrant after it was once rejected by the prosecution.

Yut sticks
Photo by National Folk Museum

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Mr. A is accused of pouring gasoline on Mr. B’s body and setting it on fire on November 4 last year at a container temporary building in a village in Nokdong, Goheung-gun, while they were playing money-stakes Yutnori.

Mr. B, who suffered severe burns, was taken to the hospital but passed away on the 20th of last month, about four months after the incident. It is reported that Mr. A did not report the incident to the authorities and pretended that Mr. B had an accident.

After investigating the case, including interviewing witnesses, the police concluded that this was not a typical accidental death but a violent crime, and arrested Mr. A on suspicion of murder while investigating the circumstances.

Witnesses present at the scene reportedly told the police that a quarrel broke out when Mr. B, who had won money in the Yutnori game, tried to leave.

The police applied for an arrest warrant immediately after arresting Mr. A, but the prosecution rejected it citing insufficient evidence.

A man who set fire to a neighbor's body during a money-stakes Yutnori game and killed him was found to have designated himself as a beneficiary and taken out a life insurance policy in the victim's name.
[Photo by Asia Economy]

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Through supplementary investigation, the police found that Mr. A had taken out a life insurance policy on Mr. B, who was his neighbor, and designated himself as the beneficiary of the injury and death insurance payout worth about 200 million won.

It is reported that Mr. B had little contact or interaction with his family, including his divorced wife and children.

Mr. A admitted to the police that he poured gasoline on Mr. B’s body but claimed that the fire was accidentally ignited while lighting a cigarette and that there was no intent to kill.

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