Yeoksam-dong Arson Suspect Claims He Was Also a Fraud Victim During Police Questioning

A man in his 70s, identified only as A, who set fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, injuring 19 people, has claimed during police questioning that he was "also a victim of fraud." A, who has been arrested on charges of arson causing injury to existing structures, has refused to give statements while repeatedly asserting that he was defrauded by the patent firm he set fire to. According to A, the cause of his grievance is that the firm failed to issue him a paper copy of his patent registration certificate. Ahead of his pre-trial detention hearing on the 22nd, A told reporters, "I'm sorry to the victims, but I was scammed," and made the same argument to the judge in court.

This is not the first time A has taken threatening action against the firm. Four years ago, he was arrested and convicted for visiting the firm demanding a paper certificate, dousing the premises with gasoline and threatening employees. According to the patent firm, the paper certificate A demands is a document that cannot be issued under the relevant procedures. Police also investigated the fraud allegations against the firm at the time and concluded there was no wrongdoing.

Police plan to bring in a profiler this week to determine A's motive and are also checking whether he has a history of mental illness. In addition, they have secured victim statements that A was looking for a specific person before setting the fires, and are reviewing additional attempted murder charges.

A is suspected of committing his first arson on the third floor of the Sinmyeong Building in Yeoksam-dong at around 11:54 a.m. on the 20th, followed by another fire on the fourth floor of the Hanyang Building at around 12:01 p.m. The fires left 19 people injured, including one patent attorney who was hospitalized in cardiac arrest. A, who fled the scene immediately after the crime, was arrested about four hours later, and the court issued an arrest warrant, citing "the risk of flight."

Police plan to decide by the 30th whether to transfer A's case to prosecutors after further investigation and analysis of his motive.