Repeat Arsonist Turns Out to Be Forest Fire Monitor, Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

【Financial News | Namwon—Kang In】A former forest fire monitor who repeatedly set fires has been sentenced to prison.
The Jeonju panel of the Gwangju High Court said on the 6th that it sentenced A, 58, to two years in prison in an appellate trial on charges of violating the Forest Disaster Prevention Act and causing property damage.
A was indicted on charges including setting fires six times in fields in Namwon, Jeonbuk State, from February 8 to 15.
The fires spread in the dry weather and wind, burning an area of 1,695 square meters.
A worked as a forest fire monitor for Namwon City from 2016 to 2025, but investigators found that he committed the crimes out of resentment after failing to be hired this year.
The panel ruled, "The defendant had previously worked as a forest fire monitor and was well aware of the dangers of wildfires, yet repeatedly set fires in forested areas, making him highly culpable," adding, "The human and material resources expended were also substantial, with numerous firefighting personnel and vehicles dispatched, making a prison sentence unavoidable."


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