House of Worship Torched
ON SUNDAY afternoon, October 4, 1992, a crazed man burst into a small, second-story Kingdom Hall in Wŏnju, Republic of Korea, that was crowded with over 90 worshipers. He shouted several times: “Bring out my wife!” Upon hearing him, his wife quickly left through the rear emergency exit.
The man poured a container of gasoline on the carpet in front of the main exit. Then, despite the pleadings of those present, he set the carpet ablaze. The gasoline literally exploded, shooting flames and black smoke to the ceiling, toward the stage, and then back through the entire hall. In a matter of seconds, much of the audience was engulfed. Flames and smoke poured from every window.
Many escaped through the rear exit or out the windows onto a narrow ledge. From there they made their way to the roof of an adjoining building and then down to the ground. Others simply jumped from the second floor. After making his escape, the arsonist contemptuously kicked the injured who had jumped to the ground.
The traveling overseer, who was giving the special public talk, shouted: “Hurry, save the children.” Survivors believe he and his wife could have escaped if they hadn’t attempted to help others. They were among the 15 who died; in all, 26 others were injured. Another man, who later died in the hospital, risked his life helping older ones get out.
Those who died were in the front of the hall. The traveling overseer and his wife were overcome with dense smoke and suffocated. The dead were from nine families; three were children, ages 3, 4, and 14. That more were not killed or injured was almost miraculous, considering that the quarters were cramped and that the flames cut off escape through the main entrance.
Seven fire trucks and 30 firemen quickly arrived on the scene, but the swiftness of the blaze had already taken lives. The flames were extinguished within an hour. However, because of the intensity of the fire, identification of the dead was extremely difficult, taking over two hours.
The Wŏnju police later arrested the man who set the blaze and charged him with murder and arson. While being held in police custody, he failed in a suicide attempt.
Endured Brutal Treatment
When the arsonist’s wife grew interested in the teachings of the Bible, it became his habit to threaten her. In mid-September, about two weeks before the traveling overseer visited the Wŏnju Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the arsonist beat his wife until she was unconscious. Then, after she recovered, he poured lacquer thinner on her and set her on fire. But as soon as the fire started, he came to his senses and hurriedly put it out.
On the tragic Sunday, the man demanded that his wife not go to the Kingdom Hall. Even though he went into a rage, she refused to be intimidated. She felt that she must obey God in this matter of worship rather than any man, including her husband. (Acts 5:29; Hebrews 10:24, 25) So she attended the meeting.
After the torching of the Kingdom Hall, the husband’s lawyer tried to pressure the woman into signing a statement saying that her husband was driven to commit his abominable act because she refused to give up a fanatical religion and because she had failed to be a good wife to him. However, she would not sign the statement. She refused to compromise the truth by indicating that the horrible tragedy was in any way due to her study of the Bible.
The weekend after the tragedy, at an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the woman went through with her decision to be baptized in symbol of her dedication to serve Jehovah God, the Sovereign of the universe.—Psalm 83:18.
Help From Far and Near
As soon as word of the tragedy was received at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ansung, some 60 miles [100 km] from Wŏnju, aid was dispatched for the injured and for their families, as well as for family members of the dead. Not only was money provided but Christian elders from the branch were sent to determine what other help might be needed.
Arrangements were made for the congregation to move into another Kingdom Hall in Wŏnju, and other provisions were made available to those in need. Support was soon coming in from fellow Christians all over the Republic of Korea. Many people, in fact, came from other cities and offered help soon after the disaster. Typical was a donation of $1,200 from a congregation of 75 Witnesses, and another congregation of 87 persons donated $2,200.
The Christian elders in the congregation where the tragedy occurred did what they could to help others, but they were among those who suffered the greatest losses. Two children of the presiding overseer were among the dead, another Christian elder lost his son, and the face of yet another elder was very badly burned. Despite what these Christians lost, they and the congregation as a whole kept calm and remained firm in the faith.
A few days after the tragedy, a representative of the branch office handled the mass funeral. Many Witnesses from throughout the country attended, thereby showing their love and concern for their friends. Expressions of sympathy were even received from many of the branch offices of Jehovah’s Witnesses in various parts of the world.
The head of the Intelligence Division in the local police department attended the funeral and was impressed with the conduct of the Witnesses. He observed how quiet and calm they were and how kindly they treated others who had suffered losses in the fire. The director of the Bureau of Society and Industry was also at the funeral. Later, when told of the loving donations that had been received from all over the country, he said that without faith this could not have been done. The deputy mayor of Wŏnju also showed genuine interest. He said that he was personally impressed by the calmness, mutual love, and organizational ability of the Witnesses.
This tragedy is simply further evidence that we are living “in the last days [with] critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Timothy 3:1) It is to be expected that horrible things like this will take place. But Jehovah’s Witnesses in Wŏnju are not discouraged. They are determined to continue their worship of the only true God, Jehovah, and persist in doing his will.—Reported by Awake! correspondent in the Republic of Korea.
[Pictures on page 26]
To right: The Kingdom Hall, and (below) the burned-out stage where many died
Below: Suh, Sun-ok, who lost two children in the fire, being comforted by a fellow Witness, and Shim, Hyo-shin, a Christian elder who had two children injured