A man in his 20s has been sentenced to prison for starting a series of fires on a university campus in Ulsan, a local court said Tuesday.
The Ulsan District Court handed down an 18-month prison sentence for starting fires at least five locations on and off campus in February, including areas near a dormitory, a path beside a university building, and grassy areas outside the school.
At the time of the arson, he was enrolled at the university as an exchange student.
The investigation found that the defendant initially set fire to his blanket and notebook at a smoking booth on campus. He then returned home to collect papers and notebooks, came back, and started additional fires in other locations, resulting in approximately 50 square meters of forested land near one of the university buildings being scorched.
The fires were put out quickly, and no significant damage was reported.
The defendant was convicted of arson of personal property under Korean law, which prohibits setting fire to one's own belongings in a manner that endangers public safety.
During the trial, the defendant admitted to setting fire to items at the smoking booth but denied starting any fires outside of it.
The court, however, rejected his claim, citing a series of fires that broke out along the path he had taken, burnt notebooks found at the scene bearing his name, and security camera footage showing that he was the only person seen entering the nearby grassy areas at the time of the fire.
His attempt to flee to his home country of China was considered an aggravating factor in the court’s decision.
“The defendant saw students and staff trying to extinguish the fire he had started at the smoking booth but took no action. Instead, he went home, brought more materials, and set additional fires. He also attempted to flee to China the following day," the court said.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
