"We Never Fought Once Since Marriage…" Husband Wails After Losing Wife in Arson Attack

"We had never fought as a couple even once since we got married."

This is how a husband began his story after losing his wife in the apartment management office arson attack in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.

Victim A, a resident in her 50s who was a mother to a college-aged only daughter and deeply liked by all her neighbors, lost her life in the sudden arson attack, leaving her husband wailing, "I couldn't even wipe the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes."

The victim, who was cherished by apartment residents for her lively personality and warm interactions with neighbors, was torn away from her family's embrace in a split-second arson incident.

According to A's family and neighbors on July 26, A, who died in the arson attack, was usually outgoing and loved making friends.

About six years after moving into the apartment, A came to be affectionately called "Older Sister ○○" or "Younger Sister ○○" by all the neighbors.

On the day of the incident, she visited the management office out of concern over a broken closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera monitoring the apartment complex, met with tragedy, and never made it back to her family.

A passed away at 11:10 AM on July 24 while receiving intensive treatment for severe whole-body burns.

Her husband, B, struggled to speak as he said, "My wife had tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she stopped breathing, but I couldn't bring myself to wipe them away. That was her last moment."

B was left speechless, adding, "I heard from the hospital that her condition was already very grave, but I kept telling myself to wait as a miracle might happen."

In his mind, her desperate cries of "Save me" after suffering whole-body burns continue to haunt him.

B recalled, "We were going to have breakfast together, but my wife went to the management office and didn't come back for over 30 minutes. Feeling that I should go check on her, when I got within 2 to 3 meters of the management office, I heard 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 as she lay in the middle of the fire pit crying out to be saved, but I couldn't save her."

A, who suffered whole-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 six or seven years since we moved into this apartment. My wife was so lively, cheerful, and loved making friends without reservation, 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 choked back tears as he said, "The last conversation I had with her was when she asked to be saved that day, and when I poured water on her, she told me to make sure water didn't get into her ears."

A left her home at around 8:00 AM on July 23, the day the incident took place, 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, 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 the food waste the previous evening and noticing that all except one of the CCTV monitor screens showing the apartment (inside the management office) had turned off.

Having left home like that, A never returned.

She is known to have left behind a single college-aged daughter.

B expressed intense emotions, stating, "Because of a single person, so many people have suffered a tragedy. I simply cannot understand these circumstances."

A's mortuary 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 representatives for years over management fee administration and other issues.

Ryu is accused of setting fire to the apartment management office in Gyeongsan at 8:29 AM on July 23, killing one person and injuring seven others, including himself, on charges of arson resulting in death and injury to inhabited structures.

The police plan to monitor Ryu's medical recovery before executing an arrest warrant to investigate his motives and the details of the crime.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.