Arson Attack at Cheongju Inn Leaves Three Dead

Early this morning in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, a man in his 40s set fire to an inn and fled after a conflict over accommodation fees.

Fire and smoke quickly spread through the inn, which had no sprinklers, and all three people staying there ultimately died.

Journalist Lee Moon-hyeon reports on the tragic incident.

Fire Breaks Out at Cheongju Inn

Black smoke and burning flames engulfed the building, and firefighters worked tirelessly to put out the flames.

The fire broke out at 1:44 a.m. in a three-story inn in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do.

Firefighters arrived at 1:50 a.m. and extinguished the fire by 2:41 a.m., but unfortunately, all three residents in the building lost their lives.

Two people were found in cardiac arrest inside the room, and one person was discovered in the hallway.

The inn, licensed in 1985, was not required to have sprinklers, which may have contributed to the high number of casualties.

“I think he died during the evacuation of the second-floor hallway. There was so much smoke that he would have lost consciousness if he had inhaled even a sip.”

Fire Official

Arson Investigation Underway

According to the police investigation, the cause of the fire was arson.

A 48-year-old Mr. Kim, who had been staying at the inn for an extended period, was forced to check out yesterday afternoon after a dispute with the inn owner over accommodation fees.

Mr. Kim, who harbored a grudge over the incident, returned to the inn in the early hours of the morning and set it on fire.

Police believe Mr. Kim used a lighter to ignite insulation piled inside the first-floor door.

Mr. Kim fled the scene after starting the fire but was apprehended by police three hours later, around 4:40 a.m.

“Investigators tracked the suspect through CCTV and immediately arrested him nearby. I heard he was a bit drunk.”

Police Official

Police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for Mr. Kim as early as tomorrow after conducting a thorough investigation.

This is Moonhyun Lee from MBC News.

Video Coverage: Jang Se-young (correspondent) / Video Editing: Min Gyeong-tae / Video provided by: Cheongju Eastern Fire Department