"Wanted to Get My Parents’ Attention" — Man in His 20s Sets Fire to Home Amid Family Discord

[Financial News] A man in his 20s who set fire to his residence in an attempt to attract his parents’ attention has received a suspended prison sentence.
According to the legal community on the 9th, the Seoul Northern District Court’s 13th Criminal Division, presided over by Sanghoon Na, Presiding Judge of the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court, sentenced Mr. A (28), who was indicted on charges of Arson of an Inhabited Building, to one year and six months in prison, suspended for two years, on the 2nd. The court also ordered probation for the defendant.
Mr. A was brought to trial for setting fire to clothing in his own apartment, which he shared with his father, on October 12 last year. The apartment complex consists of 11 buildings and 1,281 units. He was accused of setting fire to property by igniting clothes in his possession.
The fire caused property damage estimated at 62.6 million won. Mr. A used his own lighter to start the fire, which spread from the closet and bed to the ceiling and walls, according to the investigation.
During the trial, Mr. A denied the charges. He claimed that he only intended to set fire to a T-shirt hanging in the closet, which is an ordinary item rather than an inhabited building. He argued that he thought the fire would burn only the shirt slightly and go out quickly, leaving just minor soot in the closet.
Mr. A also stated that he wanted to get his parents’ attention due to family discord. He explained that he believed sending his family a video of the fire would prompt his father to pay attention to him, and that his mother, who had left for his sister’s house after an argument with his father, would return home.
However, the court did not accept his claims. The court found that there was at least indirect intent to recognize or accept the possibility that the building could catch fire. The decision was based on the fact that Mr. A only left to fetch water after the clothes had almost completely burned, and by the time he returned with a basin of water, the fire had already spread throughout the closet. The court also considered that the flames had spread through the closet, ceiling, and walls, destroying the mattress and bed frame. According to the Supreme Court of Korea, indirect intent is recognized when a person is aware of the possibility of a crime occurring and accepts the risk.
The court stated, "The crime was committed in an apartment complex where many people reside, and if the fire had not been extinguished in time, it could have caused significant casualties and property damage." The court further explained, "Setting fire to a residence at midnight from Friday to Saturday for the incomprehensible reason of wanting to attract the father’s attention and hoping the mother would return home, given the motive and extent of the damage, makes the nature of the crime extremely serious."
However, the court took into account several mitigating factors: there were no casualties, the victim—Mr. A’s father—expressed that he did not wish for punishment, the family earnestly pleaded for leniency, Mr. A appeared to have acted impulsively under the influence of alcohol, and after the incident, he obtained a nationally certified qualification in tax accounting and transferred to a related academic program to focus on his studies. His efforts to improve his conduct were considered as mitigating factors.
jyseo@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter