Arsonist jailed for torching top Korean treasure

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean man who burnt down the country's top cultural treasure, one of the few historic structures left standing in the capital after the 1950-53 Korean War, was jailed for 10 years on Friday.

Chae Jong-gi, 69, in February set fire to the 600-year-old Namdaemun gate in central Seoul, which had withstood invasions and colonial occupation and was used as the centerpiece of South Korea's international tourism campaign.

"It was inevitable for us to hand down such a heavy sentence given that (the arsonist) inflicted on the public an unimaginable amount of psychological pain and caused a loss of face for this country," the court said in its decision.

Ahead of the trial, Chae apologize for destroying something dear to so many people.

He has told reporters he set the fire because he was angry at the government for not fairly compensating him in a property dispute and that the gate could always be rebuilt.

Namdaemun was built in 1398 and served as the main southern entrance for Seoul when it became Korea's capital more than 600 years ago and was a walled city.

The iconic stone and wooden structure, also called Sungnyemun or "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies", was designated by the South Korean government as cultural treasure number one.

The gate, reduced to a charred hulk by the fire, is being rebuilt at a cost of 25 billion won ($25.10 million) and is expected to reopen in 2012 at the earliest.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Lee Jiyeon; Editing by Nick Macfie)