Identity Revealed of 77-Year-Old Arsonist Behind Yeoksam Fire That Injured 19

The identity of 77-year-old Lee Myeong-su, who is accused of setting consecutive fires at two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, last month, has been made public.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency published Lee Myeong-su's name, age, and mugshot on its website this morning (Nov. 3).

Lee was transferred to the prosecutors' office on October 29 on charges of setting successive fires at two patent law firms in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, on October 20, injuring 19 people.

CCTV footage obtained and reported by SBS previously showed Lee asking if a specific patent attorney was inside near virtually the only entrance to the office building housing the firms, before pouring gasoline around the entrance and setting it on fire.

Concluding that Lee intended to murder unspecified individuals inside the patent law firms, the police added attempted murder charges to the existing charges of arson resulting in injury to an inhabited building.

Previously, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a disclosure deliberation committee on October 28 and decided to release Lee's identity.

The Seoul police decided to disclose Lee's personal information, determining that the damage caused by the crime is severe and that public interest necessitates the disclosure.

(Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Kim Gi-hyeon | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.