Innocent Lives Lost: The Recurring Cycle of 'Vengeful Arson'

[Anchor]

He claimed he wanted to make his grievances known even as he faced a critical juncture over whether to be detained. However, the arson he committed threatened the lives and safety of completely innocent citizens. The problem is that crimes of setting fires to air grievances or frustrations like this keep happening.

Here is a report by reporter Kim Minjun.

[Reporter]

A man pours gasoline on the floor of a moving subway train and sets it on fire.

The flames spread rapidly, and the interior quickly filled with black smoke.

In May of last year, inside a Seoul Subway Line 5 train carrying nearly 500 people, an arson attack by a man in his 60s sent 23 passengers to the hospital.

Apprehended by the police, the man stated that he was unhappy with a court ruling holding him responsible for his divorce and ordering him to pay alimony and property division, and that he wanted to make his grievance known.

Only the personal details differed; the motive for the crime—feeling aggrieved and wanting to make it known to the world—was the same as that of the serial arsonist in his 70s in Yeoksam-dong.

[Son Oe-chul / Professor of Police and Criminal Psychology at Pukyong National University: They mostly want to publicize it, you know, the unfairness they suffered and things like that. While murders also get reported in the media, they see (arson) as having the biggest impact.]

In July of last year in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, a resident in his 70s set fire to the management office over ongoing conflicts regarding apartment management, killing five people. In September the year before last in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, after a motel owner told a man in his 50s to "take your belongings out" following an argument over room rates, the man set a fire, killing three innocent guests.

Attempts to resolve personal grievances or frustrations through vengeful crimes such as arson rather than legitimate legal procedures continue to occur. In fact, among the 342 arson suspects whose motives were identified last year, more than half—204 people—cited venting anger or hostility.

[Oh Yoon-sung / Professor of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University: They rationalize it themselves and take on a sense of justification. Even after being arrested and coming into contact with the media, they don't feel ashamed or guilty at all.]

Some experts diagnose that elderly individuals, who have fewer people around them to listen to their personal complaints or venting, often choose the extreme method of arson.

[Lim Myung-ho / Professor of Psychology at Dankook University: Younger people post their complaints a lot on social media. But because (vulnerable groups) are not such social media users, they have no choice but to show it in a old-fashioned way.]

Experts point out that our society needs to build a tighter safety net geared toward creating proper channels and pathways where individuals can voice their personal grievances.

(Video Editing: Park Na-young, Design: Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.