Serial arsonist sentenced to 12 years for South Korean forest fires

A man in his 60s, known as the ‘Bongdaesan Fire Squirrel,’ has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a series of forest fires in Namwon and Hamyang. The Changwon District Court Geochang Branch delivered the verdict following his involvement in three separate arson incidents in early 2024.

The defendant had a extensive criminal history, having previously set 96 fires in the Bongdaesan area of Ulsan between 1994 and 2011. After serving a 10-year sentence, he was released in 2021 and relocated to Hamyang, where he committed the recent offenses. The most significant fire in the recent series destroyed an area equivalent to 327 soccer fields.

Total damages from the recent arson spree are estimated at over 900 million won, with 232 hectares of forest lost. While the defense argued for leniency based on pyromania and diminished mental capacity, the court rejected these claims, citing stress and alcohol as contributing factors. The court emphasized that the severity of the crimes and the threat to public safety necessitated a heavy sentence.