"If This Isn't Attempted Murder, What Is?"... Family and Employees Outraged

[Anchor]

The only entrance to the patent firm was instantly engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Despite the suspect's statement that he only intended to scare them, police initially applied charges of arson resulting in injury. However, the victims and their families are expressing fury, asking how this could be anything other than attempted murder.

Reporting by Kwon Min-kyu.

[Reporter]

Two days after the crime, the suspect in his 70s, surnamed Lee, who committed the serial arson, claimed he had no intention of killing anyone.

[Lee / Arson Suspect: I wasn't trying to kill them, I just wanted to scare them. It's right here. The fraud going on, you know. I wanted to let the world know....]

Because of Lee's statements, the police applied only the charge of arson of an inhabited building resulting in injury, while stating that they are actively reviewing potential charges of attempted murder.

[Official at the Victimized Patent Firm: He intended to kill everyone in that building. If this isn't attempted murder, does that mean we aren't human?]

Employees who narrowly escaped with their lives and the victims' families vented their deep anger.

[Wife of the Victimized Patent Attorney: How can this possibly not be attempted murder? He threatened them in the exact same way several years ago over the same issue—if this isn't attempted murder, what on earth should be called attempted murder?]

Since that day, her attorney husband has barely maintained a pulse with the help of life support, and not only his lungs but his other major organs have been severely damaged.

[Wife of the Victimized Patent Attorney: His clean lungs, which had never touched alcohol or cigarettes, were completely ruined, and the burn specialist hospital said they had never seen lungs caked this thick and pitch-black with toxic substances.]

Employees noted that Lee had visited the office four years ago as well, splashing gasoline and threatening them, but this time it appeared to be a premeditated act.

[Official at the Victimized Patent Firm: He researched how to trap people so they couldn't escape and would all die, and then brought and poured an appropriate amount of thinner or gasoline.]

[Lee Yoon-ho / Professor Emeritus, Department of Police Administration, Dongguk University: If he just wanted to scare them, he would have poured thinner and shouted, but he didn't do that. Setting fire to the only exit so people couldn't get out is essentially telling them to die.]

Police plan to deploy a profiler soon to intensively investigate whether Lee had intent to kill and to decide whether to apply charges of attempted murder.

(Photo: Yonhap News / Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video by Kim Yoon-seong | Graphics by Lee Jong-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.