The 2008 Namdaemun fire was a fire set by Korean citizen and arsonist Chae Jong-gi (Hangul: 채종기) that occurred on the Namdaemun, the most historically significant gate in Seoul, South Korea, and the first of Korea's National Treasures, on the date of February 10, 2008. The fire caused severe damage to the structure.
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008, a fire broke out and severely damaged the wooden structure at the top of th...
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The 2008 Namdaemun fire was a fire set by Korean citizen and arsonist Chae Jong-gi (Hangul: 채종기) that occurred on the Namdaemun, the most historically significant gate in Seoul, South Korea, and the first of Korea's National Treasures, on the date of February 10, 2008. The fire caused severe damage to the structure.
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008, a fire broke out and severely damaged the wooden structure at the top of the gate. By late Sunday night, firefighters said they believed that they had contained the fire. Firefighters were instructed by officials not to be aggressive in fighting the fire out of fear that the structure would be damaged by the effort itself.
The fire roared out of control again after midnight and destroyed the structure, despite the effort of more than 360 firefighters. There were no injuries reported.
The fire itself was set when Chae Jong-gi arrived at Namdaemun around 8:35 p.m. on Sunday carrying an aluminum ladder, three 1.5 liter...
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