A fire incident occurred on May 31st in Seoul's Subway Line 5, where a man in his sixties is accused of pouring gasoline inside a moving carriage and igniting it, resulting in 23 people being hospitalized and around 130 receiving on-site treatment. The South Korean court expressed concerns about the defendant's potential to flee and re-offend, leading to his detention ruling on July 2nd.

According to reports, the incident took place in the tunnel between 'Yeouido Station' and 'Mapo Station,' where smoke quickly spread throughout the train, causing panic among passengers. Some witnesses described, “I was in the last carriage, and many people were screaming and rushing towards me.” Hundreds of passengers ended up fleeing in the darkness, with one stating, “Everyone was frantically pushing towards the doors, it felt like we were caught in a subway version of the Itaewon tragedy.”

During the court session, the defendant, who claimed to have purchased gasoline at a gas station two weeks prior due to dissatisfaction with the outcome of his divorce proceedings, faced questions from the media regarding the potential for significant loss of life. He simply replied, “I'm sorry.” After assessing the case, the court deemed the man a substantial threat to public safety, due to both the impure motive behind his actions and the premeditated nature of the crime, therefore issuing a detention order.