Gangnam Arson Suspect Admits Planning Fires That Injured 19, Police Say
Police plan to seek an arrest warrant for a man in his 70s who allegedly set fires at two adjacent buildings in southern Seoul, injuring 19 people.
A man suspected of setting fires at two adjacent buildings in Seoul’s Gangnam district has largely admitted that he planned and carried out the attacks, police said Wednesday. The blazes injured 19 people and prompted authorities to prepare an arrest warrant request on a charge of arson resulting in injury.
The fires broke out Tuesday at two buildings in the southern Seoul district. One of the injured was taken to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest, according to police. Officers apprehended the suspect, a man in his 70s, several hours after the incidents.
Investigators say the fires were set at separate patent firms located in the two buildings. During questioning, the suspect told police that he had purchased two jerrycans, a lighter and flammable material near his home in western Seoul on Friday, several days before the attacks. The account indicates that investigators are treating the incident as a planned act rather than an impulsive one.
Police said the man claimed that the patent firms had defrauded him by issuing what he described as fake patent registration certificates. He reportedly told investigators that he intended to frighten the firms and draw public attention to his allegations. His claims about the companies have not been established as fact, and the police account concerns statements attributed to the suspect during the investigation.
Authorities plan to question the man again before seeking a warrant for his formal arrest. The expected charge, arson resulting in injury, reflects both the alleged intentional setting of the fires and the harm suffered by people at the scene. Police have not announced a final charging decision, and the case remains under investigation.
The incident has brought renewed attention to safety in densely occupied commercial buildings, where fire and smoke can rapidly threaten workers and visitors beyond the location where a blaze begins. The two affected buildings were next to each other, increasing the scale of the emergency response and the potential danger to occupants.
Further questioning is expected to focus on the suspect’s preparations, his movements before and after the fires, and the precise sequence in which the two locations were targeted. Investigators will also need to assess the evidence supporting his stated motive while documenting the injuries and property damage caused by the blazes.