On February 10, 2008, an arsonist set fire to the historic Namdaemun gate (officially "Sungnyemun") in Seoul, South Korea, causing severe damage to the 550-year-old structure.

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.

A 69-year-old man, identified as Chae Jong-gi (Korean: 채종기; Hanja: 蔡宗基), was taken into police custody on February 12, on the suspicion that it was he who started the fire.

[5][6][7] 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.

[14] The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea stated that it would take three years and $21 million to rebuild and restore the historic gate.

The project cost 25 billion won to complete and includes new fire suppression systems and closed-circuit television cameras.