Doctor receives suspended sentence for setting fire to grass on Chun-do Island

A doctor in his 30s has been handed a suspended prison sentence for intentionally setting fire to grass on Chun-do Island in Chuncheon. The Chuncheon District Court's Second Criminal Division sentenced the man, identified as A, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges including arson, theft, and trespassing. The incident occurred on December 22 last year when A used a portable gas torch to set fire to weeds, burning approximately 72 square meters of grass and causing an estimated 4.31 million won in restoration costs. Further charges include the theft of about 20 logs from a warehouse in Chuncheon in February and entering a farmer's shed twice without permission in the same month. A and his legal team argued that he lacked intent for arson due to a medical condition affecting his judgment and that he mistook the firewood for discarded items, thus lacking intent for theft. However, the court cited CCTV footage showing A continuing to torch the grass even as flames spread, indicating a clear intent to set the fire.

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The court cited CCTV footage showing A continuing to torch the grass even as flames spread, indicating a clear intent to set the fire.