Surveillance footage released by authorities shows an incident in which a man lit a fire inside a subway in Seoul last month. In the video, passengers can be seen running after pouring a flammable liquid on the floor of the train and setting it alight on the morning of May 31.
One of the passengers who was rushing to escape slipped and fell to the floor moments before the fire broke out. Smoke spread to the adjacent train filled with commuters before people were able to exit through the doors.
Six people were reported injured but no deaths. According to the investigation, the 67-year-old man carefully planned the crime because of his divorce problems. He bought gasoline, mortgaged his assets, and checked out several large subway stations before carrying out the incident.
The suspect was charged with attempted murder and arson. The last major subway accident in South Korea was in 2003 in Daegu, where 192 people died. As a result, safety on trains has been improved.
