Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Chinese man detained for alleged arson at Kangwon Land
This photo, provided on Thursday by Gangwon Fire Headquarters, shows the room damaged by a fire as a result of a suspected arson attempt at Kangwon Land, a casino resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.
By Jung Min-ho
A Chinese national was detained, Thursday, on suspicion of setting fire to his hotel room at Kangwon Land, a casino resort in Gangwon Province, after losing a lot of money, police said.
The man, in his 50s, faces an arson charge after six people staying at the same hotel, which is situated in the county of Jeongseon, were hospitalized after a fire erupted on the hotel’s 14th floor at 2:31 a.m.
The consequences could have been much worse, given the time of the incident. However, the fire was extinguished in about 10 minutes by the hotel's emergency sprinkler system.
After checking footage from CCTV cameras, police apprehended the suspect in the vicinity of the hotel at around 8 a.m.
After questioning the suspect, police said they believed that the man, who was angry due to a lot of money he had lost at the casino, used a cigarette lighter to set fire to the beds in his room.