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Prosecutors demand 20-year sentence for suspect in Seoul subway arson

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 14:58

A man surnamed Won, in his 60s, accused of setting fire to a moving subway train on Seoul Metro Line No. 5, appears at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on June 2 for a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 20-year prison sentence for a man suspected of setting fire to a Seoul subway train in May.

Prosecutors sought the sentence during the final hearing for the case at the Seoul Southern District Court, along with an order to wear an electronic device for 10 years and three years of probation.

The 67-year-old suspect, surnamed Won, is accused of pouring gasoline on the floor of a moving train in the Yeouinaru Station-Mapo Station section of Subway Line 5 on May 31, setting it on fire, attempting to kill 160 passengers, including himself, and injuring six of them.

Prosecutors earlier indicted him on charges of attempted murder, which were not included during the initial investigation by police, calling his actions "an act of killing comparable to terror."

"The defendant threatened 160 innocent passengers and society by setting fire to a subway train moving through a tunnel under the Han River out of grievances over the outcome of his divorce lawsuit," a prosecutor said during the hearing.

"Considering he created social fear and anxiety, and that mass human casualties could have occurred from even a slightly delayed evacuation, a heavy sentence is inevitable," the prosecutor added.

A picture of the fire set by 67-year-old Won set in a moving subway train on Seoul Metro Line No. 5 on May 31 [SEOUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT PROSECUTORS' OFFICE]

The fire had caused chaos in the train as passengers scrambled to escape, leading to 23 people being transferred to hospitals due to smoke inhalation and 129 people receiving on-site treatment.

Won's lawyer pleaded for leniency, saying the arson was committed with the aim of raising awareness of the injustice of his divorce suit and that he has confessed to the crime and is regretful, while the damage was small as the fire was quickly extinguished.

In his final statement, Won said he had nothing to say, other than, "I regret it."

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14.

Yonhap