Sejong: A man in his 50s was arrested Thursday after allegedly pouring an inflammable liquid and trying to set it on fire inside the Ministry of Employment and Labor office in the central city of Sejong, police said. The incident occurred around 6:25 p.m. on the sixth floor of a government complex building in the city, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, ministry officials intervened before the fire could start, and no injuries were reported. Police said the man, whose name was withheld, visited the ministry to protest its failure to process his repeated petition for the recognition of an industrial accident.
He was found to have jumped over a glass entrance door while carrying a bag containing a plastic bottle filled with an inflammable liquid, and then forced his way into the building. After reaching the sixth floor without being stopped, he began causing a disturbance, shouting, “Come out, Labor Minister!” according to police.
Police are working to determine the exact motive behind the arson attempt and other details.