2008 Namdaemun fire - wikipedia 2008 Namdaemun fire Namdaemun Gate before, during, and after the fire Before the fire ( top ), during the fire ( middle ), and after the fire ( bottom ) The 2008 Namdaemun fire was an incident that occurred on February 10, 2008, in Seoul, South Korea, when arsonist Chae Jong - gi ( Hangul : 채종기 ; Hanja : 蔡宗基 ) set fire to Seoul 's historic Namdaemun gate ( officially `` Sungnyemun '' ), causing the 550 - year - old structure 's complete destruction. The gate has since been restored, and it reopened to the public on May 5, 2013. Contents 1 Fire 2 Arsonist 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Fire The fire reportedly broke out at approximately 8 : 50 p.m. on Sunday, February 10, 2008. Firefighters soon arrived on the scene and started dousing the blaze with water in an attempt to extinguish the fire. Initially, the effort seemed successful : by late Sunday night, firefighters said they believed that they had contained the fire, with only minimal damage done to the wooden structure topping the otherwise stone structure. According to reports, they had been instructed by authorities not to be aggressive in fighting the fire out of fear that the structure would be damaged by the high - pressure water. After midnight, however, the dying fire suddenly reignited, quickly getting out of control. Despite the efforts of the more than 360 firefighters who were at the scene, the fire soon ended up destroying the entire wooden structure and causing substantial damage to the stone walls. The fire did not result in any injuries. Arsonist Originally, the fire had been suspected to be accidental. However, many witnesses reported seeing someone enter the gate shortly before the fire, and two disposable lighters were found where the fire was believed to have started. Later investigations revealed that the fire was indeed an act of arson. A 69 - year - old man, identified as Chae Jong - gi ( Hangul : 채종기 ; Hanja : 蔡宗基 ), was taken into police custody on February 12, on the suspicion that it was he who started the fire. Chae confessed to the crime 30 minutes after his arrest. According to police reports, Chae arrived at Namdaemun around 8 : 35 p.m. carrying an aluminum ladder, three 1.5 - liter bottles of paint thinner, and two cigarette lighters. With the ladder, he climbed the western wall of the gate, entered the gate, and walked up to the second floor. There, he started the fire by sprinkling the floor with paint thinner and lighting it. Chae stated that he had started the fire because he was upset about not having been paid in full for land he had sold to developers. Chae had also been charged with setting fire to the Changgyeong Palace complex in Seoul in 2006. The reason he targeted Namdaemun was because it was easily accessible and was only secured by motion sensors. He also considered attacking trains or buses, but decided against it due to the high number of casualties this would cause. Aftermath South Korean citizens mourning the loss of Namdaemun, which had been designated as the country 's `` National Monument No. 1 ''. South Korean newspapers blamed the government for failing to provide more security. The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea stated that it would take three years and $21 million to rebuild and restore the historic gate. In 2006, 182 pages of blueprints of the gate had been made as a contingency measure against possible damages, making reconstruction possible. President Lee Myung - bak proposed starting a private donation campaign to finance the restoration of the gate. Many people felt that the government should pay for the restoration because it had failed to adequately protect the structure. Lee 's transitional committee clarified the president - elect 's comments by stating that the government would pay for the majority of the restoration. The restored gate reopened to the public on May 5, 2013, using traditional tools and techniques. The project cost 25 billion won to complete and includes new fire suppression systems and closed - circuit television cameras. See also Daegu subway fire References Jump up ^ `` Koreans mourn fall of Namdaemun, national treasure No. 1 ''. Yonhap News. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Kwok, Vivian Wai - yin ( February 11, 2008 ). `` Korea 's Historic Namdaemun Gate Toppled By Fire ''. Forbes. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Fire ravages South Korea landmark ''. BBC News. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Man ' confesses to S Korea blaze ' ''. BBC News. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Kim Tae - jong ( December 12, 2008 ). `` Suspect Admits Arson on Namdaemun ''. Korea Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Man ' Arsonist Blames President Roh ' ''. Korea Times. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Gate was ' easy to approach and poorly guarded ' ''. JoongAng Daily. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2008. Jump up ^ `` SKorea arsonist in Namdaemun fire had grudge over land dispute : police ''. Google. Agence France - Presse. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ Hyung - Jin Kim ( February 11, 2008 ). `` Fire destroys South Korean landmark ''. Yahoo ! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 13, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008. Jump up ^ Pavia, Will ( February 12, 2008 ). `` Suspect held after blaze guts South Korean landmark ''. The Times. London. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Namdaemun Arson Suspect Confesses ''. The Chosun Ilbo. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Arrest In Burning Of S. Korean Landmark ''. CBS News. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ Choe Sang - Hun ( February 12, 2008 ). `` South Korean Gate Destroyed in Fire ''. The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ Chung Ah - young ( February 11, 2008 ). `` Three Years Needed for Restoration ''. Korea Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009. Jump up ^ Kim Yon - se ( February 12, 2008 ). `` Donation for Gate Restoration Proposed ''. Korea Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Shin Hae - in ( February 13, 2008 ). `` Controversy erupts over fundraising for historic gate ''. Yonhap News. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008. Jump up ^ Klug, Foster ( April 29, 2013 ). `` South Korea 's landmark Namdaemun gate to reopen ''. Honolulu Star - Advertiser. Retrieved February 9, 2018. Jump up ^ Cha, Frances ( May 9, 2013 ). `` South Korea 's No. 1 national treasure reopens after five years ''. CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2018. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Sungnyemun fire. Pictures published by BBC Fire ravages South Korea landmark BBC, February 11, 2008 Arrest In Burning Of S. Korean Landmark CBS, February 12, 2008 Arson suspected as blaze destroys South Korea 's top cultural monument The Times, February 11, 2008 Suspect held after blaze guts South Korean landmark The Times, February 12, 2008 Coordinates : 37 ° 33 ′ 35 '' N 126 ° 58 ′ 31 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 37.55972 ° N 126.97528 ° E ﻿ / 37.55972 ; 126.97528 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2008_Namdaemun_fire&oldid=824889790 '' Categories : Arson in South Korea 2008 crimes in South Korea 2008 fires 2000s in Seoul February 2008 events Building and structure fires in South Korea Crime in Seoul Jung District, Seoul Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from February 2018 Articles containing Korean - language text Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia 日本 語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 10 February 2018, at 04 : 03 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where had the man set a fire in 2006 for which he was also arrested and charged
Answer: Changgyeong Palace complex in Seoul