Warrant sought for Namdaemun arson suspect

Police yesterday sought a detention warrant against Chae Jong-gi, who police say confessed to setting the fire that destroyed the country’s National Treasure No. 1.
Chae, 69, is charged with breaking into the second floor of Sungnyemun (popularly known as Namdaemun) in central Seoul, spreading paint thinner on the 610-year-old wooden structure and setting it on fire with a cigarette lighter.
The Seoul Central District Court said yesterday it would decide on the warrant petition today.
At a press briefing yesterday, Lee Hyuk, director of the Namdaemun Police Precinct, said the suspect committed the crime by himself. “A video clip taken by a traffic camera is one of the various pieces of evidence that support the assumption that Chae is the sole suspect,” Lee said.
The traffic camera, installed at Shinhan Bank headquarters across from the gate, was filming the gate and a road beside it, according to police. Four security cameras at the gate ― two in front, one at the back and the rest inside the central passageway ― failed to capture anyone breaking in.
“In the analysis of the video clip, we saw a person entering the gate with a ladder at around 8:41 p.m. on Feb. 10,” Lee said. Four minutes after the entry, smoke started coming out from the gate. About 20 seconds later, the suspect came out of the building, according to the clip released by the police.
“Chae confessed that he was the one on the video clip,” Lee said.
Police said they will investigate every allegation raised by the public and the media regarding the fire.
Police have been questioning officials from the Jung District Office, which manages Namdaemun; the Cultural Heritage Administration; the National Emergency Management Agency; and KT Telecop, a private security company which was in charge of guarding the gate at night. “If any irregularities are found, we will file criminal charges,” Lee said.
Following the resignation of the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the public apology by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Tuesday, the Jung District Office yesterday released its own apology.
“We feel very sorry for failing to protect Sungnyemun, which had survived countless invasions by outside powers and wars for the past 600 years. We committed an unforgivable crime to our ancestors and our descendants,” read the release.

By Kang In-sik JoongAng Ilbo/ Kim Soe-jung Staff Reporter [soejung@joongang.co.kr]