Living in a Tent by the Stream After Divorce in 2016
Set Fire to District Office Warehouse in Anger Over Eviction Request
A Vietnamese marriage immigrant woman was arrested and brought to trial on charges of attempted arson and property damage after living as a homeless person under the Jungnanggyo Bridge in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. The woman, who had been homeless for five years following a divorce, reportedly said she stayed by the Jungnang Stream because "she wanted to be near where her child lives."
Jungnangcheon Stream, Seoul (This photo is not directly related to the article)[Photo by Yonhap News]
According to a Yonhap News report on the 22nd, the Dongdaemun Police Station and the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office indicted Hyun (44), a Vietnamese immigrant woman, on the 4th of this month on charges of attempted arson of a public building and special property damage.
Hyun came to Korea from Vietnam and married a Korean man with an intellectual disability, had a child, and lived together before divorcing in 2016. She claimed that she suffered verbal abuse and occasional physical assault from her mother-in-law, who criticized her for being poor at Korean, not studying, and not properly taking care of her child and husband.
After the divorce, Hyun became a basic livelihood security recipient and moved between goshiwons, jjimjilbangs, and shelters for homeless women for about two years. Since 2019, she lived homeless in a tent by the Jungnang Stream. It is reported that for about five years, Hyun lived on money given by passersby. Because she lived in a tent, she had no registered address and could not meet the conditions for job seeking or other requirements, so she did not receive basic livelihood security benefits.
The Dongdaemun District Office offered Hyun support for housing and Korean language study, but she refused all offers. A district office official said, "We tried to persuade her several times, but she firmly refused, making it difficult to provide welfare benefits."
Despite the district office's repeated requests for her to leave, on the 26th of last month, Hyun smashed machines in a district office warehouse near the Jungnang Stream gateball field with a hammer and set fire to them. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the fire burned only some materials and was extinguished within about 20 minutes.
During the investigation, Hyun reportedly stated, "I was angry because of the people cleaning the Jungnang Stream. They put papers telling me to leave on my tent, made me stand in front of it, and took pictures." Regarding why she stayed in the tent by the Jungnang Stream, she reportedly said, "I did not want to return because of bullying in the shelter, and I wanted to be near where my child lives."
Hyun, who was indicted on charges of attempted arson of a public building and special property damage, will appear in court next month.
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