Chinese attacker of Japanese Embassy reveals eccentricities

A Chinese man detained after throwing firebombs at Japan's Embassy in Seoul as a protest over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women has shown eccentric behavior such as singing Korea's national anthem and cursing Japan in fluent Korean, officials said Monday.

The 38-year-old man, surnamed Liu, was arrested last week after he hurled four hand-made firebombs at the wall of the Japanese Embassy in downtown Seoul. No property damage or human injuries were reported following the attack, but the assault left minor scorch marks on the embassy wall.

The Chinese man from Guangzhou, who came to South Korea on a tourist visa, said he launched the attack because "Japan holds an irresponsible attitude toward the sex slavery issue."

While being detained at Seoul's Jongno Police Station to face further interrogation, he cheered for Korea, shouting "hurrah" at least twice in Korean and singing the country's national anthem frequently, according to the officers there.

"He has a good command of Korean, particularly reading and writing, which he said he learned in his childhood while being with his maternal Korean grandmother," said an officer of the police station, adding he cursed Japan in fluent Korean.

Liu looked outgoing and cheerful even while being under detention and has not skipped a meal, according to officers.

Testifying about his motives for the crime, Liu claimed his Korean grandmother was forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers during World War II. He also said he set fire on Dec. 26 to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine where Japanese war criminals are enshrined.

Police said, however, that they have yet to verify his claims due to a lack of evidence.

Police said they will wrap up their investigation of him within the day before sending the case to prosecutors for possible legal actions.

Korea has pressed Japan to resolve long-standing grievances over Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, euphemistically called "comfort women." The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.

Tokyo has acknowledged that its wartime military used sex slaves, but maintains that all issues regarding its colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, including the comfort women, were settled in a 1965 package compensation deal under which the two countries normalized their relations. (Yonhap)