Man arrested for allegedly setting fire at National Assembly

A man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to a section of the outer wall of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday evening.

A fire breaks out at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 9. The suspected arsonist has since been arrested. [YONHAP]

A man was arrested for allegedly setting fire to a section of the outer wall of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday evening.

According to the Yeongdeungpo Police Precinct, the suspect was taken into custody after allegedly using a flame torch to ignite a pile of fallen leaves near the third gate of the Assembly’s perimeter wall at around 8:10 p.m.

No injuries were reported, but approximately 30 square meters (323 square feet) of nearby lawn and vegetation were burned.

The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes by 53 firefighters and 18 fire trucks dispatched to the scene.

Police said the suspect was motivated by dissatisfaction with the current political situation. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact motive.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JUNG SI-NAE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]