A woman with a history of mental illness burned herself to death at a Buddhist temple in Seoul on Thursday, with the reasons behind the apparent suicide yet to be known, police said. 

The 31-year-old woman, only identified by her family name Kim, poured flammable materials onto her body and set herself on fire with a lighter at the Bongeun Temple in southern Seoul, police officers said.

The woman died before an ambulance arrived at the site, they said.

She reportedly had megalomania, a mental illness in which people think they have great or unlimited power or importance, though they often have delicate egos.

No property damage was reported due to the incident. (Yonhap)