Investigation Office Requests Supplementary Investigation in Yeoksam Arson Case, Pursues Additional Psychological Analysis

The Investigation Office, which took over the serial arson case in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, has requested a supplementary investigation from the police.

The Seoul Central District Investigation Office has asked the police to conduct psychological analysis by a profiler belonging to the Investigation Office regarding a man in his 70s surnamed Lee, who was transferred in custody on charges of arson resulting in injury to an existing building and attempted murder.

Upon receiving the request for supplementary investigation, the police are proceeding with the necessary practical procedures to examine Lee, who is detained in a detention center, such as coordinating psychological test schedules and entrusting the analysis to the Investigation Office.

Before transferring the suspect, the police deployed a profiler to analyze Lee's motives for the crime, and it is reported that the Investigation Office is seeking to secure psychological analysis data through its own profiler separately from that.

Lee is accused of injuring 26 people by setting fires in succession at around 11:54 a.m. on the 20th at the Shinmyung Building and at around 12:01 p.m. at a patent law firm office located in the nearby Hanyang Building in Yeoksam-dong.

Lee claimed that he was only trying to scare them because he was scammed by the patent law firm and had no intention of hurting people.

However, the police determined that there was an intent to murder based on the facts that Lee prepared crime tools such as gasoline in advance and set fire to the entrance—the only exit—while aware that people were inside the office, thereby adding the charge of attempted murder.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.