Police have arrested a man who confessed to setting the 600-year-old Sungnyemun city gate on fire.

Police announced Monday they caught the man on Ganghwa Island Monday, as his clothes and bag matched those seen on a person entering the gate right before the fire.

The man, identified only by his surname Chae, is believed to have set the fire to protest a court ruling on a previous arson case in which he was involved.

Chae has a criminal record that includes setting fire to a structure inside the Changgyeong Palace in April 2006. He is currently on probation.