"Didn't Replace My Mobile Phone"...Middle School Girl Booked for Setting Fire to Home

by Song Bohyeon

Published 21 Nov.2025 09:20(KST)

An incident occurred in which a middle school girl set fire to her own home because her parents did not replace her mobile phone with a new model. As a result of the fire, 17 apartment residents suffered smoke inhalation and more than 70 people evacuated.

Gwangju Bukbu Police Station.

Gwangju Bukbu Police Station announced on the 21st that they have booked and are investigating a middle school girl, referred to as A, on charges of arson of an inhabited building. According to the investigation, at around 10:52 p.m. on the previous day, A set fire to a blanket with a lighter in a small room on the third floor of an apartment in Dongnim-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju.

The fire burned part of the house and some household goods before being extinguished in about 20 minutes. Seventeen residents who inhaled smoke were taken to the hospital, while more than 70 people were either rescued or evacuated on their own.

It was reported that A told the police, "I wanted to change my mobile phone to a new model, but my parents did not replace it for me, so I set the fire."

The police, in cooperation with the fire authorities, are conducting a joint inspection to determine the exact cause and circumstances of the fire.