SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Police say a 72-year-old South Korean man is in critical condition after setting himself ablaze in downtown Seoul, apparently to express his anger toward Japan amid worsening tensions between countries over trade and wartime history.
An official from Seoul’s Jongno Police Station said Thursday that the man was being treated at a Seoul hospital for burns over his entire body.
The official says police at the scene found a bag that likely belonged to the man and contained a memo and leaflet criticizing Japan over its decision to tighten controls on high-tech exports to South Korea and vowing to fight Tokyo until Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologizes.
A 78-year-old South Korean man died earlier this month after self-immolating near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.
