On January 19, 2009, about 30 evicted residents held a sit-in protest in a temporary four-story tower built on the building's rooftop, demanding proper compensation after a decision to redevelop the area.

At 1:22 am on the 20th, the curtain wall of an adjacent commercial building caught fire after being hit by a Molotov cocktail thrown by protesters.

[3] The Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office investigated the incident and concluded that the fire was caused by the paint thinner used by protesters to make Molotov cocktails.

[1] Protesters claim that the fire was caused by a fuel additive which fell and lit when police forces removed beams from the temporary structure.

The committee noted that the standards for civil disturbances were not followed properly, and that the presence of flammable materials at the site was not accounted for.