Historic landmark destroyed

[Steel2Velvet]

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean police said on Tuesday they arrested a pensioner who confessed to burning down a 600-year-old gate designated as the country's number one national treasure because he was angry about a compensation payment.

The stone and wood structure Namdaemun, or "Great South Gate," was reduced to a charred hulk on Monday, with newspaper editorials lamenting the destruction of an iconic symbol of national pride. The gate was the oldest wooden structure in Seoul. It had withstood invasions, colonial occupation and was one of the few historic structures in the capital to remain standing after the 1950-1953 Korean War.

One man stood at Namdaemun and summing up the sense of loss and shock shared by many South Koreans said, "It feels like the heart of the nation was destroyed overnight."

The 69-year-old suspect, identified only by his family name Chae, told police he had planned the fire for several months. The police chief said, "He committed the crime out of anger because he felt the government did not take enough care with the appeal he filed after being insufficiently compensated for redevelopment in his residential area." Chae said he used a ladder to climb into the gate's pavilion. He then poured paint thinner on the floor and set it ablaze.

Newspaper editorials on Tuesday said the loss of Namdaemun was an embarrassment that could have easily been prevented through better security and fire fighting measures. The head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, whose agency faced stiff criticism for its management of the national treasure, offered to resign on Tuesday. Many of the thousands who viewed the ruins pointed fingers angrily at politicians, bureaucrats, firefighters and police for failing to protect the landmark. Some blamed the outgoing government of President Roh Moo-hyun. Others castigated President-elect Lee Myung-bak, who as mayor of Seoul allowed the gate to be opened to the public and promoted it as a tourist destination. The arsonist told police he selected Namdaemun because of its easy access.

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In reading this article, I was struck that people seemed to want to blame everyone but the arsonist for this event. Is it really always someone else's fault when law breakers break laws?