A 70-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to two patent law offices in the Yeoksam-dong area of Gangnam, injuring 19 people.
According to Yonhap News, Judge Bae Dong-sik of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant after a pre-arrest interrogation, citing concerns that the suspect might flee.
The suspect is accused of igniting fires at the third floor of the Shinmyung Building at 11:54 a.m. and the fourth floor of the Hanyang Building at 12:01 p.m. on October 20. Among the injured, one patent attorney was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest.
Police believe the suspect acted out of resentment, suspecting that the patent law firms had defrauded him during his patent registration process.
When questioned by reporters about his intent to kill, the suspect responded, "I wasn't trying to kill anyone; I just wanted to scare them." He had previously been convicted and sentenced to two years and six months in prison for attempting to set fire to the same two patent law firms four years ago.
The Seoul Suseo Police are considering additional charges of attempted murder based on statements indicating that the suspect sought out specific individuals just before the arson.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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