2008 Namdaemun fire
2008 Namdaemun fire was an arson fire that occurred in Namdaemun on February 10, 2008. The fire severely damaged South Korea's first national treasure.
The fire
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008, a fire broke out and severely damaged the wooden structure at the top of the gate. By late Sunday night, firefighters said they believed that they had contained the fire. Firefighters were instructed by officials not to be aggressive in fighting the fire out of fear that the structure would be damaged by the effort itself.[1]
The fire roared out of control again after midnight and finally destroyed the structure, despite the effort of more than 360 firefighters.[2] There were no injuries reported.[3]
Arsonist
The cause was originally suspected as accidental; however, many witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man shortly before the fire, and two disposable lighters were found where the fire was believed to have started.[2]
A 69-year-old man identified as Chae Jong-gi was arrested on suspicion of arson and then later confessed to the crime.[4][5][6] A police captain reported that Mr. Chae sprayed paint thinner on the floor of the structure and then set fire to it.[7] Police say that Mr. Chae was upset about not being paid in full for land he had sold to developers.[5] The same man had been charged with setting a fire at Changgyeong Palace in Seoul in 2006.[8]
The reason that he targeted Namdaemun was because it was easily accessible and had just one security measure, namely motion sensor detectors.[9] He also considered attacking trains or buses but gave up because he did not want to harm people.[10]
Aftermath
South Korean newspapers blamed the government for not enacting stronger security measures.[11]
The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea said that it would take three years and 21 million dollars to rebuild and restore the historic gate.[12]
President-elect Lee Myung-bak proposed starting a private donation campaign to finance the restoration of the structure.[13] Many people felt that the government should pay for the restoration because it had failed to adequately protect the structure.[14] Lee's transitional committee clarified the president-elect's comments by saying that the government should still pay for the majority of the restoration.[14]
References
- ^ "Koreans mourn fall of Namdaemun, national treasure No.1". Yonhap News. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Kwok, Vivian Wai-yin (2008-02-11). "Korea's Historic Namdaemun Gate Toppled By Fire". Forbes.
- ^ "Fire ravages South Korea landmark". BBC News. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ "Man 'confesses to S Korea blaze'". BBC News. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ a b Kim Tae-jong (2008-12-12). "Suspect Admits Arson on Namdaemun". Korea Times.
- ^ "Man 'Arsonist Blames President Roh'". Korea Times. 2008-02-14.
- ^ "SKorea arsonist in Namdaemun fire had grudge over land dispute: police". Agence France-Presse. Google. 2008-02-12.
- ^ Hyung-Jin Kim (2008-02-11). "Fire destroys South Korean landmark". Associated Press. Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ "Suspect held after blaze guts South Korean landmark". The Times. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Namdaemun Arson Suspect Confesses". The Chosun Ilbo. 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Arrest In Burning Of S. Korean Landmark". CBS News. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ Choe Sang-Hun (2008-02-12). "South Korean Gate Destroyed in Fire". The New York Times.
- ^ Kim Yon-se (2008-02-12). "Donation for Gate Restoration Proposed". Korea Times.
- ^ a b Shin Hae-in (2008-02-13). "Controversy erupts over fundraising for historic gate". Yonhap News. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
See also
External links
- Pictures published by BBC
- Fire ravages South Korea landmark BBC, February 11, 2008
- Arrest In Burning Of S. Korean Landmark CBS, February 12, 2008
- Arson suspected as blaze destroys South Korea's top cultural monument The Times, February 11, 2008
- Suspect held after blaze guts South Korean landmark The Times, February 12, 2008