A suspect in two back-to-back building fires in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, is escorted from a vehicle into Seoul Suseo Police Station in Gangnam District, on Oct. 20.NEWS1
Police are seeking a detention warrant for a man suspected of setting fire to two buildings in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Tuesday, injuring 19 people.
“The suspect largely admitted to committing the crimes,” the Seoul Suseo Police Station said Wednesday after questioning him overnight.
Police plan to request a detention warrant for the man after a second round of questioning on Wednesday on charges of arson resulting in injury.
Investigators found that the suspect bought two plastic gas cans, a lighter and other flammable materials and tools near his home in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Friday — four days before the attacks. On the day of the fires, he reportedly took the materials with him and traveled by taxi to Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District.
The suspect targeted two patent firms in the buildings, which he claimed had defrauded him by issuing false patent registration certificates.
“I wanted to scare [the firms] and let the world know about this,” he told police when asked why he set the fires.
A man suspected in the back-to-back arson attacks in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, walks toward a building in the area carrying an object believed to be flammable material on Oct. 20.YONHAP
The suspect made similar claims to reporters as he was taken to the police station a day earlier. “The patent law firm scammed me,” he said.
Asked whether he held a grudge against the firm, he said, “I filed for a patent in 2000, and [the patent firm] scammed me.”
He showed little remorse when asked about the victims. “Tell [the patent firm] not to scam people anymore,” he said.
The suspect is accused of setting fire to the third floor of the Shinmyeong building in Yeoksam-dong at around 11:54 a.m. on Tuesday and then setting another fire on the fourth floor of the nearby Hanyang building at around 12:01 p.m., seven minutes later. The two buildings are 200 meters (656 feet) away from each other.
A fire breaks out at a building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on the morning of Oct. 20.YONHAP
A total of 19 people were injured. One of them, a patent attorney, was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital for treatment.
The suspect fled the scene after the attacks but was apprehended later that afternoon near Dongmyo Station in Jongno District, central Seoul.
Police conducted an initial forensic examination of the scenes on Tuesday and began a second examination of the fire-damaged buildings at 10:30 a.m. the following day.
“We will also make every effort to protect and support the victims, including by helping with medical expenses,” a police official said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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