Hotel Guests Face Deadly Threat in Arson Attack by Manager

▲ Chuncheon District Court and Seoul High Court Chuncheon Branch

A man in his 20s who set fire to a hotel room operated by his brother-in-law, injuring guests after being reprimanded for poor management, has been sentenced to prison in his appellate trial.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court Chuncheon Branch (Presiding Judge Lee Eun-hye) announced on August 21 that it upheld a four-year prison sentence against 27-year-old A, who was indicted on charges of attempted arson of inhabited structures, injury resulting from arson of inhabited structures, and arson of general structures.

A, who worked as a manager at a hotel in Wonju run by his brother-in-law B, was put on trial for setting fire to a mattress in a hotel room with a disposable lighter on June 14 of last year. The act caused guests staying in multiple rooms to suffer injuries such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and panic disorders due to chemical substances, gas, and smoke.

At the time, four people sustained minor and major injuries and were transported to the hospital, while about 10 guests evacuated or were rescued by firefighters.

A stated that he committed the crime because his brother-in-law B rebuked him for about two hours over poor cleaning standards and other issues, using abusive language about his parents.

However, A did not stop at a single crime. Later that year on July 29, while living in a hotel room that was closed for business due to fire damage, he used a disposable lighter to set fire to a mattress, which spread up the wall and into the interior.

The fire was initially presumed to have been caused by a simple electrical short circuit. However, the case took a new turn when the National Forensic Service released a fire investigation result stating that "artificial factors cannot be ruled out rather than electrical causes."

Using a lie detector test on A, who was a prime suspect at the time, the police confirmed that his statements lacked credibility.

Police also discovered photos containing traces of arson through a forensic analysis of A's mobile phone.

Based on this evidence, the police pressed A and obtained a confession.

The charge sheet also included the fact that earlier in early June of last year, when B rebuked A for failing to properly manage the hotel, A attempted arson by repeatedly setting fire to the wallpaper and fixtures in the hotel office, though the attempt failed.

The Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court, which handled the first trial, sentenced A to prison, stating, "There were other unmanned motels and gas stations near the hotel where the defendant committed the crime, posing a risk of a large-scale fire if the flames spread. Because there were more than four groups of guests in the hotel at the time of the crime, horrific casualties could have occurred, making the risk of the crime very high and the consequences serious."

Reviewing the case again following appeals from both sides arguing that the sentence was unfair, the appellate court stated, "It is recognized that the sentence imposed by the lower court on the defendant falls within the reasonable bounds of discretion granted to the lower court regarding sentencing," thereby maintaining the original sentence.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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