Korean Insights

The passage describes a peaceful Saturday morning on May 31st at 8:42 AM, as a Line 5 Seoul subway train traveled through an underwater tunnel. Amidst ordinary passengers, a man in a white cap in the fourth car suddenly retrieved a plastic bottle from his backpack.

On May 31st, an arsonist poured gasoline on the floor of a Seoul Subway Line 5 train's 4th car, causing panic among passengers, including a pregnant woman who slipped. Within 20 seconds, the man lit the gasoline, and the flames quickly engulfed the car. CCTV footage, released by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office on June 25th, captured these dangerous moments of the incident that narrowly averted a larger disaster.

The arsonist, Won Mo (67), was indicted and detained on charges of attempted murder, arson of an existing train causing injury, and violation of the Railroad Safety Act, with prosecutors concluding his intent to kill was clear. Given the closed structure of the subway, the fire and spread of toxic gases threatened the lives of 481 passengers on board (160 identified).

Fortunately, there were no casualties. This was attributed to the replacement of subway interior materials with flame-retardant substances after the 2003 Daegu subway disaster, which prevented the fire from spreading, and the swift evacuation of passengers.

5호선 방화 그날…휘발유에 미끄러진 임신부, 2초 뒤 '불바다'