Man suspected of lighting spouse's hair on fire over drinking argument arrested by police

A man was arrested after allegedly setting his spouse’s hair on fire during an argument over drinking.

The man was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated intimidation, according to Cheongju Sangdang Police Station on Tuesday.

The man is accused of spraying flammable hair spray on the hair of his spouse and igniting it with a lighter at an apartment in Sugok-dong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong at around 10:20 p.m. on Monday.

The man is also accused of threatening the spouse with a weapon from the kitchen.

The victim’s hair was burned, but police says the spouse wasn't seriously injured.

Police said the man, who reportedly suffers from alcohol addiction, committed the crime after the spouse repeatedly told him to stop drinking.

Police booked the suspect out of concern for repeat offenses and arranged for hospitalization at a medical institution with the family’s consent.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]