A man in his 70s has been apprehended by police for setting fire to a company he was involved in a lawsuit with.

The Nonsan Police Station in South Chungcheong Province announced today (October 23) that it has booked and is investigating a man in his 70s, identified as A, on charges of arson of an inhabited building.

A is accused of pouring gasoline on the boiler pipe insulation and other areas of a food processing plant in Nonsan at around 10:40 a.m. on October 19 and setting it on fire.

The fire was quickly spotted by an employee who was working at the time, and the factory's safety manager extinguished it using a fire extinguisher, preventing any casualties.

It was reported that between 30 and 40 employees were working inside the factory at the time.

Police investigations revealed that A committed the crime out of anger while engaged in a legal dispute with the company over repair issues.

Police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the crime while considering whether to apply for an arrest warrant for A.

(Photo: Yonhap News)