Tragedy Caused by Cigarette Butt from a Man in His 60s... House Burns and 98-Year-Old Mother Dies

[Financial News] A man in his 60s who failed to properly extinguish a cigarette butt, causing a fire that led to the death of his 98-year-old mother, was sentenced to a suspended prison term. 
According to the legal community on the 24th, the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Lee Ho-dong) sentenced Mr. Kim (63), who was indicted on charges of arson and negligent homicide, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. He was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.
Mr. Kim was brought to trial on charges of causing a fire after smoking in a small room of his detached house in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on December 21 last year at around 8:10 PM, and discarding the cigarette butt in a plastic trash can without properly extinguishing it. The cigarette butt ignited the trash can, and the fire quickly spread due to the presence of flammable materials such as a desk and wardrobe nearby.
The fire consumed the entire 81.59㎡ house in 50 minutes. During this process, Mr. Kim's mother, Ms. Hong (98), who was in the main room, failed to escape and died.
The court stated, "Due to the defendant's negligence, the space where his mother lived was completely destroyed, and she ultimately died," but also noted, "The death of his mother must have been a significant mental shock to the defendant," explaining the reasons for the sentencing.  

yesji@fnnews.com Yeji Kim, Reporter