Yeoksam arsonist faces attempted murder charges after targeting specific victim, canceling phone before attack

Suspect in Yeoksam serial arson transferred to prosecutors

Police add attempted murder charges

Suspect confirmed target's presence, set fire to only exit

Canceled phone contract and lease days before attack

The suspect who set fire to two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, injuring 26 people, answers reporters' questions Thursday morning as he is transferred from Seoul Suseo Police Station to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office under detention. [Yonhap]

A man in his 70s who set fire to two patent law firms in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, injuring 26 people, has had attempted murder charges added to his case. Police confirmed that before setting the fires, the suspect — identified by the surname Lee — checked whether a specific individual was at work and deliberately set fire to the only exit while knowing people were inside. Combined with evidence that Lee had settled personal affairs immediately before the attacks, including canceling a mobile phone contract, investigators concluded there was clear intent to kill.

Seoul Suseo Police Station transferred Lee to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Thursday under detention, applying charges of arson causing injury to an occupied structure and attempted murder.

Police had initially applied only the arson charge but added the attempted murder count after the investigation team determined that the premeditated nature of the attack, the targeting of a specific individual, and Lee's decision to set fire to the sole escape route — maximizing harm to those inside — collectively demonstrated intent to kill.

During the investigation, police found that Lee had asked about a specific person's presence at work before setting fire to the first patent law firm. At the second firm, Lee set the fire despite knowing people were inside the office at the time.

In both attacks, Lee set fire to the entrance — the only exit — of each patent law firm before fleeing. Lee told police the goal was to "only frighten people," but investigators determined that, taken together, the actions clearly demonstrated intent to cause the deaths of an unspecified number of people.

The premeditated nature of the attacks was also confirmed. Lee began preparing from Sept. 24, purchasing two 15-liter containers — one for vinegar and one for sand lance sauce — along with two lighters at a store near home.

On Oct. 19, Lee purchased 17 liters of gasoline at a service station near home and transferred it into the containers bought earlier.

Five days before the attack, Lee also began settling personal affairs. On Oct. 15, Lee canceled a mobile phone contract and informed the landlord of an intention to terminate the lease, which still had nine months remaining.

Lee is accused of setting fire to two patent law firms in Sinmyeong Building and Hanyang Building in Yeoksam-dong around noon on Oct. 20, injuring 19 people. The fires ultimately left 26 people injured, many with airway burns. One patent attorney was found in cardiac arrest and has been receiving treatment at a hospital.

Lee had previously been sentenced to two years and six months in prison in 2022 for assaulting an employee at one of the same patent law firms.

Meanwhile, police convened a personal information disclosure review committee on Wednesday and decided to release Lee's identity to the public. The committee found that the severity of the harm caused and the brutal nature of the attack were recognized, and that sufficient evidence of the crime existed. Lee's personal information is set to be published on the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's website for 30 days beginning around 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

"Even after the transfer, we will actively cooperate with the prosecutors office to respond firmly to violent crimes that threaten people's lives, and we will continue working to protect and support the victims," a police official said.

20ki@heraldcorp.com