A man in his 70s who was arrested on suspicion of setting fires at two buildings housing patent law firms in Seoul's Gangnam district on Tuesday claimed he had been defrauded over a patent, while police confirmed he had previously been arrested for preparing similar attacks on the same buildings.
The two fires broke out seven minutes apart around noon in Yeoksam-dong, injuring 19 people, including five seriously.
The man made the claim to reporters as he arrived at Suseo Police Station at around 6:14 p.m., following his arrest earlier in the afternoon.
Asked why he had started the fires, he said a patent law firm had defrauded him over a patent he filed in 2000. He held up a printout of text messages and said he had prepared for the attacks for about three days.
According to local media reports, the suspect had hired a patent law firm to register a trademark overseas. The firm reportedly told him that the country issued only electronic registration certificates, but he demanded a paper certificate and accused one of the patent attorneys of stealing his trademark.
The printout he showed reporters contained a message from an attorney explaining that a previously provided document served as his registration certificate.
Police said the man had also been arrested in 2022 on suspicion of preparing to set fire to both buildings targeted Tuesday.
Surveillance footage showed the man carrying two plastic containers suspected of holding flammable substances near his home in western Seoul and later carrying them into the Shinmyeong Building, according to Yonhap.
The first fire was reported at 11:54 a.m. on the third floor of the Shinmyeong Building. Seven minutes later, another fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Hanyang Building, about 200 meters away.
At the Shinmyeong Building, 11 people were injured, including two seriously. One person found in cardiac arrest was taken to a hospital and later resumed breathing, according to fire authorities. Another suffered severe facial burns. About 60 people evacuated on their own.
Eight people were injured at the Hanyang Building, including three who were classified as seriously injured with breathing difficulties or lacerations.
Police arrested the man near Dongmyo Station in central Seoul at around 4:16 p.m., after tracking his movements by taxi, on foot and by subway.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze at the Hanyang Building at 12:35 p.m. and the Shinmyeong Building at 2:20 p.m.
mjh@heraldcorp.com