It remains the deadliest loss of life in a single deliberate incident in South Korean peacetime history, surpassing the 1982 shooting rampage committed by Woo Bum-kon.

The arsonist, Kim Dae-han (김대한; 金大漢), was a 56-year-old unemployed former taxi driver who had suffered a stroke in November 2001 that left him partly paralyzed.

Kim was dissatisfied with his medical treatment and had expressed sentiments of violence and depression; he later told police he wanted to kill himself, but to do so in a crowded place rather than alone.

By most accounts, on the morning of February 18, he boarded train 1079 on Line 1 in the direction of Daegok Station, carrying a duffel bag that contained two green milk cartons filled with a flammable liquid, possibly paint thinner or gasoline.

Smoke being visible on their closed-circuit television monitors, subway officials radioed the operator of train 1080, Choi Sang-yeol (최상열; 崔相烈), advising him to proceed with caution because there was a fire in the station.

Transcripts show Choi Sang-yeol made three announcements advising passengers in train 1080 to remain seated while he attempted to reach superiors.

As the incident occurred late in the morning rush hour, most of the victims were students or young women who worked in the downtown district's department stores, which opened at 10:30 a.m.

Although prosecutors, with the support of victims' families, had sought the death penalty, the court instead sentenced him to life imprisonment on account of his remorse and mental instability.