Gyeongsan apartment arson death toll rises to 3
The fire broke out at the management office of an apartment complex on July 23, when a resident set the office on fire, injuring a total of eight people, including himself.
Police secure the scene outside the management office of an apartment complex in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, on July 24, a day after a man allegedly set fire to materials inside the office.
NEWS1
GYEONGSAN, North Gyeongsang — The death toll from last month’s arson attack at an apartment management office in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, has risen to three after the building’s resident representative died of his injuries about a week after the fire.
The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police said on Sunday that the resident representative died at around 11:45 p.m. on Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the case to three following the deaths of a resident and management office employee. Of the four remaining victims still receiving hospital treatment, one is reported to be in critical condition.
The fire broke out at the management office of an apartment complex in Sa-dong, Gyeongsan, at around 8:29 a.m. on July 23, when a resident surnamed Ryu set the office on fire, injuring a total of eight people, including himself.
He had reportedly been arguing with the resident representative and others at the management office when he became enraged, went down to the building’s underground storage room, transferred some flammable liquid from a 4-liter (1.1-gallon) container into a can, brought it back and poured it on the floor of the management office before setting it alight with a lighter.
“I heard a ‘bang’ outside. When I went to check what had happened, I saw black smoke coming from the management office, and people running out with their bodies on fire,” said a resident witness. “I ran over and tried to put out the fire by throwing water on the blaze and using a fire extinguisher.”
The fire in the management office was extinguished at around 8:48 a.m. that day, roughly 20 minutes after it started.
After escaping the scene, Ryu went to his apartment, came back out with a bladed weapon and threatened residents, shouting, “I’ll kill everyone,” and “I’ll disembowel myself.” The police then arrested him.
On the day of the incident, police formed a 36-member investigation task force led by the head of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police’s criminal affairs division. Police have booked Ryu without detention on charges of arson resulting in death or injury of an occupied building.
Ryu, who is being treated in the hospital for full-body burns, is reportedly conscious but unable to communicate well and has not yet stated his motive. Police plan to conduct an in-person interview once his condition improves.
Investigators, meanwhile, are questioning people close to Ryu and analyzing his cell phone seized in a search and seizure operation, and the apartment complex’s CCTV footage to determine the motive and circumstances behind the attack.
Since some residents stated that part of the apartment complex’s CCTV system was damaged just before the incident, police are also examining whether Ryu had planned the attack. Investigators are also taking into account that he had reportedly been in a long-running dispute with the management office over building operation issues, and that he had been sued by a management office representative the day before the fire.
If the investigation proves that Ryu committed arson to retaliate against a specific person, he could face a more serious charge under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [[email protected]]
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.
