[Anchor]
Police are expected to apply charges of attempted murder to a man in his 70s who allegedly set fire to two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, in succession. The police are also considering whether to disclose his identity.
Reporter Im Jihyeon.
[Reporter]
A man enters an office carrying containers filled with yellow liquid in both hands, sets a fire, and flees.
Lee, the suspect behind the serial arson in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, was previously punished in 2022 for pouring gasoline on employees and pretending to ignite a lighter at the same two patent law firms involved in the current case.
However, the charge applied to Lee at that time was not preparation for arson, but only special intimidation.
At the time, Lee stated that he committed the crime to frighten them rather than to start a fire, and prosecutors were unable to find evidence to overturn Lee's claim.
Having served two and a half years in prison, Lee set fire to the same patent law firms after his release, but is repeating the claim that his intention this time was also merely to scare them.
[Suspect Lee : (Did you intend to kill?) I didn't mean to kill them, I just wanted to scare them.]
Survivors argued that Lee set fire to the only available exit, and therefore charges of attempted murder should be applied.
[Official from the targeted patent law firm : (Claiming he just wanted to scare them is) a very calculated statement prepared to lower his sentence. (Later on) we don't know what even greater crime he might commit.]
Some legal professionals note that given the nature of the crime, applying charges of attempted murder is feasible.
[Lee Seung-woo / Lawyer : If statements such as 'even if they die, it can't be helped' come out (during the investigation process), it seems likely to move toward recognizing the charge of attempted (murder).]
The police, who have secured and are analyzing CCTV footage from the time, are actively considering additionally applying attempted murder charges against Lee before transferring him to prosecutors.
The police also plan to consider whether to disclose his identity, taking into account the severity of the crime.
(Video Reporter: Bae Moon-san | Video Editor: Park Na-young)
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