Homeless Man Who Set Fire at City Hall Over "Why No Taxi Fare" Turns Himself In to Police

A Man in His 40s Who Frequently Visited City Hall to Demand Money

A homeless man in his 40s was arrested after setting fire to signboards when he was refused a taxi fare by an on-duty staff member at the city hall civil service office.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Icheon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province is investigating Mr. A on suspicion of attempted arson of an occupied building on the 26th. Mr. A is accused of using a lighter to set fire to three signboards at the civil service office of Icheon City Hall around 7:10 p.m. that day.

It was found that he committed the act after being refused a taxi fare by the city hall staff on duty.

Mr. A is known to have frequently visited the city hall previously to ask for money. Fortunately, the on-duty staff extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher, preventing it from spreading. Immediately after the incident, Mr. A went to the nearby Icheon Police Station and confessed to the arson.

The police stated, "We plan to investigate the specific circumstances of the incident with Mr. A."

Meanwhile, under current law, anyone who sets fire to a building used as a residence or a building where people are present, or to trains, trams, automobiles, ships, aircraft, or underground mining facilities, is subject to life imprisonment or imprisonment for at least three years.