Alleged Serial Arson Takes Toll on Northern Seoul

The police have recently launched an investigation on an alleged serial arson case involving a series of fires in 11 venues in northwestern and northeastern parts of Seoul.

In response to the serial fires, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Department issued a special fire warning on Feb.24 and assigned emergency shift accordingly.

According to the Seodaemun Police Station, a pile of garbage at the entrance of the furniture shop street in Bukahyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, was set ablaze at around 3:30 a.m. on Feb.24. Nearing 4:00 a.m., bicycles and tents used by street vendors near a public parking lot, just 200 meters from the location of the first fire, were also set on fire.

After these two incidents, there were two outbreaks of fire in the neighborhood, in front of an apartment complex and a residential area at 4:17 a.m. and 4:23 a.m., respectively.

Prior to Feb. 24, Nowon-gu and Dobong-gu reported a total of seven cases of fire incidents between Feb. 18 and Feb. 22.

The Nowon Police Station reported that two fire incidents occurred at a ten-minute interval on Feb. 21, first at a street vendor in Gongneung-dong and later at a flight of stairs in a textile factory located just 200 meters away.

On Feb. 18, a pile of leaves behind the management office of an apartment complex in Nowon-gu was set ablaze only two hours after a fire broke out in a waste incineration facility of a middle school in the neighborhood. In the following hour, an additional fire was reported in the basement staircases of an apartment building nearby.

The police and fire authorities suspect some of the 11 fire incidents to be arson cases.

A police official said, “Although there were no casualties or serious property damage, we organized a special investigation team to find the cause of the fires that took toll on the northeastern part of Seoul. We are trying to assuage fears of the residents and prevent additional incidents by conducting an extensive investigation in the concerned districts.”

Another official said, “Some have raised concerns over possible copycat arsons inspired by recent fire incidents in Sungnyemun and the Central Government Complex.”

Regarding such possibilities, Pyo Chang-won, a professor of the Korea National Police University, pointed out that copycat crimes are highly likely to be committed between one and three months after a major incident breaks out. He added, “Unlike other crimes, copycat arson can claim a great number of lives in a single case. This is why it poses a serious threat to the society.”

turtle@donga.com