▲ Resident in Her 50s Dies in Arson Attack at Apartment Management Office in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province
"We had never even had a single marital argument since we got married."
The husband who lost his wife in the apartment management office arson attack in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, began with these words.
Victim A, a resident in her 50s who was a mother to a college-student daughter and beloved by all her neighbors, was taken from her family by the sudden arson attack. Her husband sobbed, saying, "I couldn't even wipe the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes."
Known for her cheerful personality and warm relationships with neighbors, the victim, who was cherished by apartment residents, was torn away from her family in a split second by the arson attack.
According to A's family and neighbors on the 26th, A, who died in the arson attack, was usually lively and loved making friends.
About six years after moving into the apartment, A became affectionately known as "unni" or "dongsaeng" (older or younger sister figures) whom all the neighbors loved.
On the day of the incident, she visited the management office out of concern over malfunctioning CCTV cameras monitoring the apartment complex and met with disaster, never returning to her family's side.
A passed away at 11:10 AM on the 24th while receiving intensive treatment for full-body burns.
Her husband, B, choked back tears as he said, "My wife's breathing had stopped, and tears were pooled in the corners of her eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to wipe them away. That was her last moment."
Struggling to continue, B said, "I heard at the hospital that her condition was already very bad, but I kept saying let's wait because a miracle might happen."
The desperate cries of his wife screaming "Save me" after suffering full-body burns remain etched in his mind.
B recalled, "We were planning to have breakfast together, but my wife didn't return from the management office even after 30 minutes. Thinking I should go check on her, when I got about 2 to 3 meters away from the management office, there was a loud 'bang' and flames surged up."
He continued, "The first person to burst out of the building was a man (the arson suspect), and a few people in the restroom were putting out flames on their bodies. I pulled my wife out from the sea of fire while she was lying down and begging to be saved, but I couldn't save her."
A, who suffered full-body burns, was transferred to a burn treatment specialist hospital in Seoul, but tragically passed away just a day later.
B said, "It has only been about 6 to 7 years since we moved to this apartment. My wife was so lively, cheerful, and loved socializing with people without any pretense, so everyone in the neighborhood liked her."
He added, "Throughout our married life, she never fought with me once. We were so close that she would even pretend to die if I asked her to."
He expressed with grief, "That day, while she asked to be saved and I poured water on her, her last words to me were to make sure water didn't get into her ears."
A left her home at around 8:00 AM on the 23rd, when the incident occurred, and headed to the apartment management office.
This was after she heard from B, who had taken out the trash and stopped by the management office before returning, that "the CCTV connection cord (jack) was damaged, and the management office was debating whether to report it to the police."
Right at that moment, A had also found it strange after taking out food waste the previous evening and noticing that all CCTV monitor screens showing the apartment except for one (inside the management office) had turned off.
A, who left home like that, never returned.
She is known to have an only daughter who is a college student.
B vented his strong emotions, saying, "So many people have fallen victim because of a single person. I simply cannot understand these circumstances."
A's funeral wake has been set up at a funeral hall in Gyeongsan.
The police currently have a resident in his 70s, surnamed Ryu, booked as a suspect in the arson case.
Ryu has been in conflict with the resident representative council for years over the execution of apartment management fees and other matters.
Ryu is suspected of setting fire to the apartment management office in Gyeongsan at 8:29 AM on the 23rd, killing one person and injuring seven others, including himself (on the charges of arson resulting in death or injury of inhabited structures).
The police plan to execute an arrest warrant after monitoring Ryu's medical progress to investigate his motive and the details of the crime.
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