A suspect identified only as A has largely admitted to setting fire to two buildings in the Yeoksam-dong area of Seoul's Gangnam District, police said. The suspect told investigators the fires were meant to expose what A described as fraud by patent law firms that issued false patent registration certificates.
The Suseo Police Station in Seoul said on the 21st that A largely acknowledged the allegations during an initial interrogation. A is accused of setting fire to two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, seven minutes apart the previous day. The fires injured 19 people in the two buildings. A fled the scene and was arrested near Dongmyo Station in Seoul's Jongno District about four hours later.
Police said A appears to have planned the attack three days in advance. On the 16th, A bought two plastic jerrycans, a lighter and flammable liquid near A's residence, investigators said, and on the day of the fires took a taxi from home to the scene.
Explaining the motive, A told investigators, "I believed two patent law firms had deceived me by issuing false patent registration certificates," adding, "I wanted to scare them and let the world know about this."
Police conducted a second forensic examination of the scene at 10:30 a.m. that day and planned to question A again before seeking an arrest warrant later in the day. Authorities also said they would actively support victims, including covering medical costs.