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On the morning of February 18, 2003, an ordinary commute in the South Korean city of Daegu turned into one of the deadliest urban disasters in modern history. Within minutes, a single act of arson inside a crowded subway train ignited an inferno that would claim 192 lives, injure hundreds more, and leave a nation shaken to its core.
Mass Murders: Daegu Subway Fire is a gripping, meticulously researched account of the tragedy, its origins, and its aftermath. Author Julian Kessler explores the life of the arsonist, Kim Dae-han, tracing his path from a troubled childhood to the moment he carried two plastic containers of gasoline onto a train. Through vivid storytelling and careful analysis, this book reconstructs the sequence of events inside the underground tunnels, the catastrophic failures in emergency response, and the devastating human toll that followed.
More than just the story of a single crime, this book examines the broader questions of responsibility, safety, and resilience. How could such a disaster unfold in a modern city? What systemic weaknesses allowed the tragedy to escalate so quickly? And how did South Korea, a nation proud of its rapid modernization, come to terms with the darkest chapter of its subway system?
Blending true crime investigation with social history, Mass Murders: Daegu Subway Fire is both a memorial to the victims and a warning about the consequences of overlooked vulnerabilities in public life. It is a sobering reminder of the fragility of urban safety, the failures of human systems under pressure, and the enduring scars left by a single act of destruction.
