Yeoksam-dong Arson Suspect: "I Wanted to Scare Them"... Police to Seek Arrest Warrant Today

The suspect: "I planned and prepared for the crime in advance"
"Two patent law firms defrauded me"
Police to seek arrest warrant after second round of questioning

A man in his 70s suspected of setting fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, one after the other, largely admitted to the offenses during police questioning.

A man in his 70s, identified only as A, who is suspected of setting fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, one after another, is being escorted to Suseo Police Station in Seoul. Yonhap News

The Suseo Police Station in Seoul said on October 21 that it had conducted a first round of questioning of the man, identified only as A, who is suspected of arson of an occupied building resulting in injury.

According to police, A is suspected of setting fires at the third floor of Shinmyeong Building in Yeoksam-dong at 11:54 a.m. on October 20 and at the fourth floor of Hanyang Building in Yeoksam-dong at 12:01 p.m. Both locations were offices of patent law firms.

During questioning, A largely admitted to the offenses. He said, "I planned and prepared for the crimes in advance, buying two plastic jerry cans, a lighter and flammable materials near my residence last Friday, October 16," and added, "I took a taxi from my residence to the crime scenes that day."

Regarding his motive, he said, "I believed the two patent law firms had defrauded me by issuing fake patent registration certificates," and added, "I wanted to frighten them and bring this matter to the public's attention."

Police plan to apply for a detention warrant for the suspect on October 21 after completing a second round of questioning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.