Man sets himself on fire near Japanese Embassy

An elderly man set himself on fire near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul Wednesday, but is not in critical condition, a police officer said.
  

The incident took place around 12:40 p.m. when the 81-year-old man suddenly set himself on fire in front of the embassy before being put out by people nearby.
  

(Yonhap)

The man was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, a police officer said. He did not give any further details and asked not to be identified, citing policy.
  

The incident came as about 1,000 people held a weekly rally in front of the embassy for the elderly Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan's World War II soldiers.
  

It also comes just three days before South Korea commemorates the 70th anniversary of its independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Liberation Day, which falls on Aug. 15, is one of the major holidays in South Korea. (Yonhap)