Arrest Warrant Sought for Arsonist
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Police sought an arrest warrant Sunday for a 70-year-old man who admitted setting fire to Namdaemun, Korea's National Treasure No. 1.
The man, identified by his surname Chae, will be charged with committing arson and destroying the iconic 610-year-old wooden gate, police said.
They added that given the serious damage to the national treasure he will not be able to avoid heavy punishment. According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Law, anyone damaging important cultural assets faces from three years to life imprisonment depending on the seriousness of the damage.
His previous arson record and the public's anger are also expected to be factored into the punishment, police said. In April 2006, he was given an 18-month jail sentence suspended for two years after being found guilty of starting a fire that demolished part of Seoul's Changgyeong Palace, a World Heritage site.
Police are also conducting an investigation to determine whether negligence was involved in the incident and who ― if anyone ― was derelict in their duty to protect the historical structure. They have already summoned civil servants from the Jung-gu ward office, which is in charge of maintenance of the gate as it is located in its district.
They will also question members of KT Telecop, a security service unit of KT Corp., which has been in charge of security of Namdaemun since late January.
As the ineffective initial response is also considered responsible for the disaster, police will also investigate the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Department.
Police said Chae committed the crime out of anger against the government over a land compensation dispute. Chae argued that the authorities were ignoring his petition against developers who allegedly did not pay him in full for land he sold them.