On the 21st, a man identified as A (61), suspected of arson in an apartment fire in the Bongcheon-dong area of Gwanak-gu, Seoul, reportedly had a conflict with residents over "floor noise." A was found dead at the fire scene that day.
The apartment where the fire occurred is a hallway-style building with 21 floors above ground and 2 underground. The fire started on the 4th floor. A fire report was received at 8:17 a.m. The large flames were controlled by 9:15 a.m., and complete extinguishment was achieved by 9:54 a.m.
One person died and six sustained serious injuries in the fire. The body of the deceased A was found in the hallway on the 4th floor where the fire started. Police confirmed A's fingerprints matched those of a key suspect in the arson case.
According to police, A lived on the 3rd floor of this apartment until November last year before moving to a villa 1.4 kilometers away in a straight line. While living in this apartment, A had conflicts with a resident of the upper floor over noise. In September last year, A assaulted the upper-floor resident, prompting police intervention. It was reported that the resident did not wish to press charges, so no criminal action was taken.
A woman identified as B, who had written a non-prosecution statement at that time, suffered severe burns and injuries from a fall in the fire that day. B’s son, Jeong Mo (45), commented on the assault incident in September last year, stating, "When A pointed at us in front of my mother’s house on the 4th floor during Chuseok, I pushed him away, and he reported us for mutual assault," adding, "At that time, A really played the drum and gongs early in the morning from the apartment below."
Jeong also noted, "A usually yelled loudly and walked around the hallway cursing," and added, "There was a time when A hammered on the ceiling while I was asleep at home."
Investigations revealed that A started a fire near his current residence, a villa, shortly before igniting the apartment. At around 8:04 a.m., police received a report stating, "A man is shooting a flamethrower." A police official commented, "It seems that he was checking whether the flamethrower could be effectively used to set the apartment on fire." A was also known to have had disputes with other residents at the villa.
A is suspected of having used a pesticide sprayer to ignite the fire in the apartment as well. His motorcycle, used to get to the apartment, was found in the underground parking lot, with a fuel tank loaded on it.
A suicide note was found in the villa where A lived. It reportedly contained a message to his daughter instructing her to use 50,000 won for his mother's hospital expenses.