[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] The Daegu District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-yoon) announced on the 20th that it sentenced A (52), who was charged with arson of a dwelling (hyunju geonjomul banghwa) for setting fire to his house because his cohabitant scolded him while he was drunk, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
A was brought to trial on charges of setting fire to his house in his home in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongbuk, on March 2, in retaliation against cohabitant B, who was scolding him for causing trouble while drunk. The fire burned most of the house, causing property damage estimated at about 9.8 million won (according to the fire department) before being extinguished.
In the verdict, the court stated the sentencing reasons: "The defendant admitted to the crime and reflected on his wrongdoing, but considering that the fire could have spread widely and led to a large-scale fire, the nature of the crime is not light and the social risk is significant."
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