Man in South Korea sets himself on fire, dies, believed to be supporter of President Yoon

An elderly man believed to be a supporter of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol died on Wednesday (Mar. 19) after setting himself on fire earlier this month.

The 79-year-old man set himself on fire after distributing printouts showing support for Yoon on the rooftop of a building near Seoul City Hall on Mar. 7, Korean media Yonhap reported.

The man died at around 1pm while being treated at a Seoul hospital specialising in burn injuries.

This is reportedly the second time a Yoon supporter has died by self-immolation, according to Yonhap.

On Jan. 15, a man in his 50s died after setting himself on fire near the investigator's office where Yoon was being questioned at that time over his imposition of martial law.

Botched imposition of martial law

The news comes as the country's Constitutional Court continued deliberations into the third week on Yoon's impeachment over his botched imposition of martial law.

The parliament voted to impeach Yoon in Dec. 2024, giving the Constitutional Court six months to rule whether to remove Yoon or reinstate him.

The court wrapped arguments nearly a month ago on Feb. 25, where Yoon said he declared martial law to eradicate "anti-state" sentiment but did not intend to fully impose the military rule.

The Constitutional Court has not announced a date for its final ruling on Yoon's impeachment trial, but the police have said it will deploy about 14,000 riot police officers in Seoul on the day of the ruling.

An official cited by The Korea Times said schools, one subway station, one gas station, and four construction sites near the court will all cease operations on the day of the ruling.

Access to rooftops of 22 buildings within the vicinity will also be restricted.

Top image via Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP