"I Was Just Exercising in the Stairwell"... Woman in Her 20s Arrested for Setting Fires on 5 Apartment Floors

Woman in Her Twenties Arrested for Arson on Five Apartment Floors

On the afternoon of the 29th of last month, fires suspected to be arson broke out in various parts of an 18-story apartment building in Eumseong-eup, Eumseong-gun, Chungbuk, damaging items placed in the stairways and corridors. Eumseong Fire Station

A woman in her twenties has been arrested for setting fires on multiple floors of the apartment building where she resides.

On May 31, Eumseong Police in Chungbuk announced that they had detained a woman in her twenties, referred to as Ms. A, on charges of arson of an inhabited building, after she set fires on several floors inside her apartment building.

Ms. A is accused of using a lighter to ignite paper, boxes, and chair cushions on five different floors of an 18-story apartment building in Eumseong-eup at around 7:20 p.m. on May 29.

The fires either burned out naturally or were quickly extinguished by residents using fire extinguishers, preventing them from spreading further and escalating into a major blaze. During this incident, three residents, including Ms. A, inhaled smoke and received treatment at the hospital.

Immediately after the incident, Ms. A initially claimed, "I was exercising in the stairwell," but admitted to the crime after police reviewed CCTV footage and questioned her further. During the police investigation, Ms. A reportedly stated that her actions were prompted by frustration over neighbors leaving trash in the apartment's common areas, combined with work-related stress.

Meanwhile, acts of arson in multi-family residences such as apartment buildings may be prosecuted under Article 164, Paragraph 1 of Korea’s Criminal Act for arson of an inhabited building. Even if the fire does not spread significantly, there is the possibility of being punished as an attempted offender.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.