Fire reported near birthplace of Park's late father

Published : Mar 13, 2017 - 17:50 Updated : Mar 14, 2017 - 10:12

A fire broke out on Monday on a hill near the birthplace of late former President Park Chung-hee, the father of ousted President Park Geun-hye, firefighters said.

The fire, which started at around 4:20 p.m. some 50 meters from where the late Park was born, was put out in 15 minutes, they said.

Park's house is located in Gumi, some 261 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

the memorial hall for late former President Park Chung-hee destroyed in a fire in his birthplace in Gumi, some 261 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

No casualties or damage to the house were immediately reported.

Police suspect that the fire might have been caused by a discarded cigarette thrown by a reserve soldier who had a training session on the hill. They said a reserve force training group discovered the fire soon after the previous group's training exercise.

But police authorities said since there are mountain trails nearby, they will also look into whether the fire was started by a hiker.

Police said although the fire appeared to be accidental as no inflammable substances were founded on the hill, they will not rule out the possibility of arson.

A memorial hall inside the house was once burnt by an arsonist in December and restored late last month.

Park Chung-hee ruled the country for 18 years until he was assassinated in 1979. He seized power in a military coup in 1961.

He is credited with laying the foundation for the country's dramatic economic growth, but has been heavily criticized for his authoritarian rule.

The incident came as his daughter was dismissed by the Constitutional Court on Friday over a corruption scandal involving her friend. Park Geun-hye is the country's first democratically elected leader to be ousted by impeachment. (Yonhap)