Suspect in Gyeongbokgung Palace Sambimun Gate Fire Seen on CCTV Has Already Left Country; Accidental Fire Suspected

[The Financial News] Authorities are now raising the possibility that the fire that broke out near Sambimun Gate at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul in the early hours of the 28th of last month was not spontaneous combustion but an accidental fire caused by human activity.
On the 9th, Jongno Police Station in Seoul announced that it is focusing its investigation on the possibility that the blaze was started accidentally by a man identified only as A, who had stayed near Sambimun Gate about 20 minutes before the fire began.
After analyzing nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, police found that smoke first began to appear at around 4:00 p.m. on the 27th of last month, the day before the fire was reported.
Roughly 20 minutes before the smoke was seen, CCTV captured A lingering for about one minute in a blind spot near the scene. However, that area is obscured by trees, so his specific actions could not be confirmed.
The Korea Heritage Service had initially presumed that the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion.
The agency previously explained that at around 5:30 a.m. on the 28th of last month, a fire broke out at a side door of Sambimun Gate near Jaseondang at Gyeongbokgung Palace. A nighttime security guard on patrol discovered smoke and flames and managed to extinguish the fire in about 15 minutes using fire extinguishers and a fire hydrant.
However, the CCTV analysis later revealed footage of A staying near Sambimun Gate just before the fire broke out.
Police identified A on the 30th of last month. He is believed to have left the country in the early hours of the same day.
The National Forensic Service (NFS) reported that no accelerants were detected at the scene. However, it added that the possibility cannot be ruled out that any flammable substances were completely burned away in the fire.
Police are currently working to enhance the original CCTV footage and are also considering summoning A for questioning.
Police, meanwhile, declined to disclose A’s nationality or other personal details, stating that "this is personal information and cannot be made public."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter