By Lee Hyo-sik
An 81-year-old dementia patient suspected of setting a deadly fire in a nursing home in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province, early Wednesday is denying the arson suspicions, according to police Thursday.
Officers captured the man, surnamed Kim, hours after the fire, which killed 21 people and injured eight, based on surveillance camera footage.
The footage showed that he entered a utility room on the second floor of Hyosarang Care Hospital at 12:25 a.m. and then left. The fire started there soon after.
Kim flatly denied he set the blaze when he appeared before reporters after police questioning.
When asked about why he entered the utility room, he said he did so without any particular reason. Kim also denied owning a lighter found at the scene.
Kim said he doesn’t remember exactly what happened.
“I shouted `fire’ when I was trying to escape. On the way out, I was tripped by something and fell on the ground. That’s how I hurt my face and hand,” he said.
Kim himself was a patient in the sanatorium for the elderly.
Police suspect that Kim may have held a grudge against staff at the care center, prompting him to vent his anger. Firefighters recovered the charred remains of a lighter on the scene, concluding that someone deliberately started the fire.
``We are questioning him about his motives. It seems that what Kim did was premeditated, not spontaneous,’’ an officer said. ``Even though Kim is suffering from Alzheimer's, he is able to communicate in a logical manner.’’
The officer added Kim was not mentally defective at the time of the incident, stressing that he was able to make a logical judgment.
``We have called in nurses and other medical staff for questioning about Kim’s life in the care center, and whether he had a problem with anyone,’’ he said. ``We cannot reveal details at the moment. But it seems that Kim must have had a problem with someone. We hope to find what it was after quizzing the medical staff.’’
Under the Criminal Law, Kim would not be subject to prosecution if he was found to be insane at the time of the crime. For this, Kim family has reportedly argued that he was mentally defective so he cannot be held accountable for his actions.