Seoul subway arsonist says divorce lawsuit led to crime
The man responsible for Saturday's arson atack on a Seoul subway train committed the crime out of spite toward the court's decision about his recent divorce, according to local media reports Sunday.
The suspect reportedly made the claim to officials at the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station, which plans to seek his arrest. The suspect has admitted to the charges, and was found not to have intended to kill himself in the fire.
The incident occurred near Mapo Station at around 8:43 a.m. Sunday on Line No. 5. The suspect poured paint thinner on the train and set fire to it. Twenty-three people, including the suspect, were taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation, while another 129 were treated on site.
The suspect also argued with the passengers after the crime, according to a male passenger's testimonies to a local media outlet. When the passenger said, "You almost killed us," the suspect purportedly replied, "Well, you didn't die."
The fire seriously damaged the subway car directly burned by the flames, and caused smoke damage to two others. Rescue authorities have provisionally estimated the damage to be about 330 million won ($240,000).
Seoul Metro, the main operator of the subway networks in the greater Seoul area, said it was copnsidering whether to sue the arsonist for compensation. The city-affiliated company said it is seeking improvements on the potential flaws revealed by the accident, such as the surveillance footage from inside the train not being transmitted to the control center in real time.
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