Man Claims Patent Corporation Committed Fraud... Threatening Arson 4 Years Ago Too

[Anchor]

The man in his 70s apprehended by police claimed he set the fires because he was a victim of patent fraud. Both of the buildings where the fires broke out house offices of legal corporations that handle patent-related affairs, and this man had been arrested four years ago for attempting to set fire to the same buildings.

[Reporter] Je Hui-won.

[Reporter]

A man is seen walking around a building, inspecting the area while holding a plastic container filled with a yellowish liquid.

Around noon yesterday (October 20), around two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, where fires broke out in succession, a man in his 70s, identified as A, was captured on CCTV wandering with what appeared to be an accelerant.

[Lee Gil-yeol / Witness: He said he was coming down to eat and saw a man walking by carrying a container similar to a paint thinner can.]

Shortly afterward, accompanied by loud noises resembling exploding batteries, the flames spread rapidly.

[Building Employee: They said a crackling sound came from the pantry area. People rushed out, and then the person next to me rushed out.]

Suspected of setting consecutive fires at the two buildings, man A fled in a taxi and was apprehended by police about four hours later near Dongmyo Station in Seoul.

It was found that man A had a previous record of being arrested on charges of preparation for arson four years ago after attempting to set fire to the same buildings.

[Building Official: I understand there was a minor happening. He must have poured quite a bit of thinner on the stairs. He was reported and caught.]

The two buildings where the fires occurred face each other across an intersection, and both house offices of patent corporations that handle patent disputes and trademark registrations.

Escorted to the Seoul Suseo Police Station, man A stated that he had been preparing the crime for three days and even pulled out documents to show the press.

[Man A: (Did you harbor ill feelings toward the patent corporation?) I filed a patent in 2000, but they committed fraud. Look at this, look. Please take some pictures. This is evidence.]

Police believe the crime was motivated by grievances regarding past patent-related matters and plan to investigate the specific motives.

(Video Reported by Kim Se-kyung and Yang Ji-hoon | Video Edited by Lee So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.