Fury Grips South Korea in Wake of Namdaemun Gate Burning
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 02.15.08 | 8:41 AM ET
Turns out South Korea’s “National Treasure No. 1” was burned Sunday by 69-year-old Chae Jong-gi, a man with a grudge against the country’s government. Ever since, South Koreans have been reacting with grief, anger and finger-pointing.
The 610-year-old gate had survived the Korean War and Japanese occupation, and the country is trying to come to terms with the loss. People are also wondering why such an important symbol was left so vulnerable. The Washington Post reports that current South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and President-elect Lee Myung-bak are both being asked to account for the destruction of Namdaemun.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
HS 03.04.08 | 9:21 PM ET
Does anybody yet know exactly how this guy managed to ignite such a large structure? I must surf the web, and enquire of a Korean friend of mine.
This incident reminds me of the Daegu subway fire of 2002, when a madman splashed gasoline inside a subway car, then lit it. The car blazed away, with the passengers inside unable to escape, and another subway train coming from the opposite direction was ignited, too. Many people burned to death, and just their bones were left. Throw these two pyromaniacs in with the Korean who went berserk at Virginia Tech, and that indicates that quite a few Koreans are homicidal.