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Man arrested for allegedly setting fire to car while wife was inside

Published: 03 Jun. 2025, 11:07 Updated: 03 Jun. 2025, 11:26

The car burned by a man in his 60s with his wife inside on June 2 [HONGSEONG FIRE STATION]

A man in his 60s was arrested on suspicion of killing his wife by allegedly drugging her with sleeping pills and lighting a car on fire while she was inside, police said Tuesday.

The Hongseong Police Precinct said it had taken the suspect into emergency custody on suspicion of murder.

The man allegedly set fire to a car while his wife, a woman in her 50s, was inside, near a reservoir in Galsan-myeon, Hongseong County, South Chungcheong, at 8:22 p.m. on Monday, according to police.

At the time of the fire, the man was reportedly outside the vehicle and alerted passersby by shouting that the car was on fire.

The blaze was extinguished in 22 minutes, but the vehicle was completely destroyed. The woman was found dead inside the car. The suspect suffered minor burns on his arm and was transported to a hospital.

While at the hospital, the man reportedly confessed to police that he had killed his wife.

He told investigators that his wife had been battling illness for a decade and had recently been suffering from mental issues. He claimed that although she did not want to die, he gave her sleeping pills and set the vehicle on fire in an attempt for them to die together.

Police are continuing their investigation and plan to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]