South Korean fire suspect previously convicted of arson
Posted: 12 February 2008 1030 hrs

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SEOUL: A man who admits torching South Korea's foremost historical landmark has a record of arson at cultural sites, police said on Tuesday, as authorities came under attack for lax security.

Riot police were deployed to guard historic sites in Seoul amid widespread anger and grief over the destruction of Namdaemun gate, a 600-year-old building in the heart of the capital.

"The suspect has confessed all of his criminal acts to police," said Kim Yong-Su, captain of Namdaemun police station, announcing the arrest on Monday evening of a 69-year-old man identified only as Chae.

Chae was arrested in 2006 for trying to start a fire at the city's Changgyeong palace and was fined and given a suspended prison sentence, Kim told a press conference.

Chae nursed a grievance over insufficient compensation following the compulsory purchase of his home a decade ago. He chose Namdaemun gate for the attack on Sunday because it was poorly guarded, according to senior city detective Nam Hyun-Woo.

The gate – a pagoda-style two-storey wooden building on a stone base – was designated national treasure number one and was a major tourist attraction. It was built in 1398, rebuilt in 1447 and renovated several times but still contained some 600-year-old timbers.

Newspapers and residents noted that it survived Japanese invasions and occupation and the 1950-53 Korean War. "But it was ruined in six hours due to our lack of care and attention," said JoongAng Ilbo in an editorial entitled, "A profound sense of loss".

"With our history of 5,000 years, the spirit of Koreans and part of ourselves was destroyed," the paper said.

Kim said Chae used a ladder to climb to the second floor and ignited paint thinner which he had sprayed on the floor. "The suspect is confessing that he committed the crime out of complaints about the unfair treatment against him."

In addition to the compensation complaint, Chae believed his 13 million won (13,740 dollar) fine for the 2006 arson bid was unfair.

Local authorities were denounced for not assigning a night-time guard at Namdaemun and for not installing a sprinkler system.

Firefighters were criticised for failing to chop into the roof to tackle the seat of the fire quickly on Sunday evening, with the Korea Times blasting them for "amateurism".

But some firemen, in turn, said cultural officials had initially urged them not to damage the structure excessively, and fire crews had no plans of the building.

The landmark, surrounded by modern office buildings, was officially named Sungnyemun or "Gate of exalted ceremonies." It was the southern gate in the walls that surrounded Seoul during the Chosun Dynasty of 1392-1910.

It is next to Namdaemun market, a centuries-old market popular with locals and tourists alike.

"My heart is aching. I have seen Namdaemun every day for 40 years," Lim Joo-Seok, 57, told the JoongAng Daily. "We elderly people feel shamed because we could not protect our ancestors' heritage."

The Cultural Heritage Administration forecast a long and costly restoration.

"Experts estimate that it will take two to three years to rebuild its architecture and cost some 20 billion won (21 million dollars)," Shim Dong-Jun of the historic architecture division told AFP on Monday.

But the best-selling daily Chosun Ilbo said the original gate was a witness to the nation's turbulent history. "The newly built gate will be a 21st century structure that merely looks like the original."


- AFP/so