Gangnam arson attack renews alarm over elderly men with grudges

A man in his 70s set fires at two buildings in Seoul’s Gangnam District on Tuesday, injuring 19 people, and told reporters he acted because patent law firms had cheated him. Police said Wednesday that he mostly acknowledged planning and carrying out the arson. The attack renewed concern about older men who set fires over accumulated grievances, including past attacks on Sungnyemun and a Daegu subway train. Experts cited loneliness and frustration and called for more serious preventive measures.

The suspect had been detained in 2022 after visiting the same two law firms, dousing employees with gasoline and threatening them with a lighter.

Men accounted for 82.3 percent of 1,011 arson cases in 2024, and men aged 51 to 60 made up the largest share of male offenders at 26.3 percent, followed by those 61 and older at 24.5 percent.

Chae Jong-gi set fire to Sungnyemun in 2008 over a land-compensation grievance, damaging about 90 percent of its second floor; restoration was completed in 2013, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In 2003, Kim Dae-han set fire to a Daegu subway train, killing 192 people; the article says he acted after despairing over declining health following a stroke.

An appeals court sentenced Won to 12 years in prison in January for attempting to kill 160 passengers in a 2025 fire on a moving Seoul Metro Line 5 train.

Published Oct 21, 2026 4:13 pm KST

Social isolation, lack of outlets for frustration drive older people to start fires, experts say

A man in his 70s, center, suspected of setting two buildings on fire consecutively and injuring 19 people, is escorted to Suseo Police Station in southern Seoul's Gangnam District, Tuesday. Yonhap

A man in his 70s arrested on suspicion of injuring 19 people in an arson attack cited a personal grudge as his motive, renewing concern over elderly people driven by resentment starting fires.

On Tuesday, two buildings in Seoul’s Gangnam District were set on fire and the suspect was caught fleeing. He mostly acknowledged planning and committing the arson, police said Wednesday. He is believed to have harbored a grievance against patent law firms over their handling of a trademark registration.

When reporters asked about his motive, he shouted that the firms had cheated him. Asked what he would say to the victims, he replied, “Tell them to stop cheating people.”

Arson suspect admits to planning, setting fires at 2 buildings in southern Seoul: police

Police apprehend arson suspect behind 2 building fires in southern Seoul

The suspect had already been detained in 2022 for preparing to commit arson after visiting the same two law firms, dousing employees with gasoline and threatening them with a lighter.

Sungnyemun's historic wooden structure is reduced to ash after an arson attack in Jung District, Seoul, Feb. 12, 2008. Korea Times file

The case is the latest in a pattern of arson attacks by older adults acting on accumulated grudges. One of the most striking was the 2008 arson of Sungnyemun — Korea's National Treasure No. 1, built in 1398 as the main southern gate of Seoul's city wall during the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty.

Chae Jong-gi, then in his 70s, set fire to the gate over discontent with land compensation and a ruling in an earlier arson case. In the 1990s, his land in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, was included in a planned road for a new apartment complex, leaving him upset over compensation he thought was too low.

Chae first sought to publicize his grievance by setting fire to Changgyeong Palace in 2006. He received a suspended sentence but set Sungnyemun ablaze even before the suspension period ended. Despite firefighters’ overnight efforts, about 90 percent of the gate’s second floor was damaged. The gate's restoration was completed in 2013 and Chae was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Earlier in 2003, Kim Dae-han, then 56, set fire to a subway train in southeastern city of Daegu and killed 192 people after despairing over declining health from stroke aftereffects and thinking he could not die alone.

In 2025, Won, in his 60s, set fire to a moving Seoul Metro Line 5 train. Upset over an unfavorable divorce ruling, he sought to end his life and chose a subway train as the setting, expecting the attack to draw public attention. An appeals court sentenced him in January to 12 years in prison for attempting to kill 160 passengers.

A fire burns inside a moving train on Seoul Metro Line 5, May 31, 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office

The numbers reveal a clear demographic pattern. Men accounted for 82.3 percent of offenders in 1,011 arson cases in 2024, according to the Prosecution Service. Among male offenders, those aged 51 to 60 made up the largest share at 26.3 percent, followed by those 61 and older at 24.5 percent.

Experts say loneliness and built-up frustration can push older people toward arson.

Lim Myung-ho, a professor of psychology at Dankook University, said arson by older adults is highly symbolic in psychological terms.

“Social isolation and loneliness are arguably the biggest problems for older people. Especially when they feel lonely, setting a fire is the fastest and simplest way to draw attention from many people,” Lim said, adding that starting fires has long been a psychological act that draws people together.

Lim also said such crimes should be addressed more seriously through measures such as probation or preventive treatment, citing the prior arson-related record of the suspect in Tuesday’s attack.

Kim Dae-keun, a research fellow at the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, said arsonists are often timid, while those with outgoing or aggressive tendencies usually move on to more serious violent crimes.

“Many older people are socially suppressed, with many grievances but few ways to release them, often leading them to simply commit arson. In prisons, for example, elderly inmates are more sensitive to humiliation and harbor more anger,” Kim explained.

周二，一名70多岁的男子在首尔江南区纵火焚烧两栋建筑物，造成19人受伤。他告诉记者，他纵火是因为专利律师事务所欺骗了他。警方周三表示，该男子基本承认策划并实施了纵火案。此次袭击再次引发人们对老年男子因积怨纵火的担忧，此前曾发生过崇礼门纵火案和大邱地铁纵火案。专家指出，孤独和挫败感是导致老年男子纵火的原因，并呼吁采取更严厉的预防措施。

嫌疑人曾在 2022 年被拘留，当时他曾到访这两家律师事务所，向员工身上泼汽油并用打火机威胁他们。

2024 年，在 1011 起纵火案中，男性占 82.3%，51 至 60 岁的男性占男性犯罪者的最大比例为 26.3%，其次是 61 岁及以上的男性，占 24.5%。

2008 年，蔡钟基因土地补偿纠纷纵火焚烧崇礼门，二楼约 90% 的建筑遭到破坏；2013 年修复工程完成，他被判处 10 年有期徒刑。

2003 年，金大韩纵火焚烧大邱地铁列车，造成 192 人死亡；文章称，他在中风后健康状况恶化，感到绝望，于是实施了纵火。

今年1月，上诉法院判处元某12年有期徒刑，罪名是企图在2025年于首尔地铁5号线行驶中的列车上纵火，造成160名乘客死亡。

发布于2026年10月21日下午4:13（韩国标准时间）

专家称，社会孤立和缺乏发泄渠道是导致老年人纵火的原因之一。

周二，一名70多岁的男子（图中）被押送至首尔江南区水西警察署，他涉嫌连续纵火焚烧两栋建筑物，造成19人受伤。（韩联社）

一名 70 多岁的男子因涉嫌纵火致 19 人受伤而被捕，他声称自己的作案动机是出于个人恩怨，这再次引发了人们对老年人因怨恨而纵火的担忧。

周二，首尔江南区两栋建筑遭纵火，嫌疑人在逃跑时被抓获。警方周三表示，嫌疑人基本承认策划并实施了纵火。据信，他因商标注册事宜与专利律师事务所存在纠纷而心怀不满。

当记者问及他的​​动机时，他大喊这些公司骗了他。当被问及想对受害者说些什么时，他回答说：“告诉他们别再骗人了。”

警方称，纵火嫌疑人承认策划并纵火焚烧首尔南部两栋建筑物。

首尔南部两栋建筑发生火灾，警方抓获纵火嫌疑人

该嫌疑人曾在 2022 年因准备纵火而被拘留，当时他曾到访过这两家律师事务所，向员工身上泼汽油并用打火机威胁他们。

2008年2月12日，首尔中区崇礼门历史悠久的木结构建筑在一场纵火袭击中化为灰烬。（韩国时报档案照片）

这起案件是老年人因积怨而纵火的最新案例。其中最引人注目的是2008年崇礼门被纵火焚毁的案件。崇礼门是韩国第一国宝，建于1398年，是朝鲜王朝（1392-1910年）时期首尔城墙的主要南门。

当时已年过七旬的蔡钟基因不满土地补偿和之前一起纵火案的判决，放火烧毁了大门。上世纪90年代，他位于京畿道高阳市的土地被纳入新建公寓楼的道路规划中，他认为补偿金过低，因此非常不满。

蔡某最初试图通过纵火焚烧昌庆宫来表达不满。他被判缓刑，但缓刑期满前，他又放火焚烧了崇礼门。尽管消防员连夜奋战，崇礼门二层约90%的建筑仍然遭到损毁。崇礼门于2013年修复完成，蔡某被判处10年有期徒刑。

2003 年初，时年 56 岁的金大韩因中风后遗症导致健康状况恶化，感到绝望，认为自己不能孤独地死去，于是在韩国东南部城市大邱纵火焚烧了一列地铁列车，造成 192 人死亡。

2025年，年过六旬的元某纵火焚烧了一列行驶中的首尔地铁5号线列车。他因离婚判决不利而心生怨恨，意图结束自己的生命，并选择地铁作为作案地点，希望引起公众关注。今年1月，上诉法院以企图杀害160名乘客为由，判处元某12年有期徒刑。

2025年5月31日，首尔地铁5号线一列行驶中的列车内发生火灾。图片由首尔南部地方检察厅提供。

数据显示，纵火犯的构成呈现出明显的性别比例失衡模式。据检察机关统计，2024年共发生1011起纵火案，其中男性占82.3%。在这些男性纵火犯中，51至60岁年龄段的占比最高，达26.3%，其次是61岁及以上年龄段，占24.5%。

专家表示，孤独和积压的挫败感可能会促使老年人走上纵火之路。

檀国大学心理学教授林明浩表示，老年人纵火在心理学上具有高度象征意义。

林先生说：“社交孤立和孤独可以说是老年人面临的最大问题。尤其当他们感到孤独时，纵火是吸引众人注意最快捷、最简单的方法。”他还补充说，纵火长期以来都是一种能将人们聚集在一起的心理行为。

林先生还表示，应该通过缓刑或预防性治疗等措施更严肃地处理此类犯罪，并援引了周二袭击案嫌疑人之前的纵火案记录。

韩国犯罪学与司法研究所的研究员金大根表示，纵火犯通常比较胆小，而那些性格外向或好斗的人通常会转向更严重的暴力犯罪。

“许多老年人在社会上受到压抑，心中积压着许多不满，却鲜有发泄的途径，这往往导致他们走上纵火的道路。例如，在监狱里，老年囚犯对羞辱更加敏感，也更容易积压愤怒，”金解释道。