Arsonist responsible for devastating wildfire given 12-year prison term

A firefighting helicopter puts out fires near Gangneung, Gangwon Province, March 6, as a series of wildfires burned some 15,420 hectares of woodland. A court sentenced a 60-year-old man to 12 years in prison Thursday for starting the fires that left more than 4,000 hectares of woodland on the east coast devastated. Yonhap

A court sentenced a 60-year-old man to 12 years in prison Thursday for starting a fire in March that left more than 4,000 hectares of woodland on the east coast devastated.

The man, surnamed Lee, allegedly set fire to a forest in the east coastal city of Gangneung, 168 kilometers east of Seoul, in the early morning of March 5, as well as his home, empty houses and warehouses there.

Driven by strong winds and a dry spell, the blaze spread rapidly, burning six houses and 1,455 hectares of woodland in Gangneung, as well as 74 houses and 2,735 hectares of forestland in the nearby city of Donghae.

It remains one of the most devastating wildfires on record in Korea, with the combined damages reaching nearly 40 billion won ($31.8 million).

Investigations blamed Lee's accumulated animosity toward neighbors and paranoia reinforced by seclusion for the arson offence.

"Victims sustained massive damages without knowing the reason, and the damages still remain," the court said, delivering the prison sentence on charges of violating the Forest Protection Act. (Yonhap)

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