[Anchor]

As you just saw, the place engulfed in flames in an instant was the sole entrance and exit of this patent firm. The victims and their families interviewed by SBS expressed fury, asking, "What is this if not attempted murder?" However, the police have only applied charges of arson resulting in injury to the suspect.

Kwon Min-kyu has an exclusive report.

[Reporter]

The serial arson suspect in his 70s, surnamed Lee, stated two days after the crime that he had no intention of killing anyone.

[Lee / Arson Suspect: I didn't mean to kill them, I just wanted to scare them. Right here. The fraud going on, you know. I wanted to let the world know...]&br;
Due to such statements by Lee, the police have applied only charges of arson of an inhabited building resulting in injury, while stating that they are actively reviewing potential attempted murder charges.

[Official from the Victimized Patent Firm: He intended to kill everyone in that building. If this isn't attempted murder, does that mean we aren't even human?]&br;
Employees who narrowly escaped death and the victims' families expressed bitter anger.

[Wife of Victimized Patent Attorney: How can this not be attempted murder? When 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?]&br;
Since that day, the patent attorney husband has barely maintained his pulse through mechanical ventilation, but his lungs and other major organs are severely damaged.

[Wife of Victimized Patent Attorney: Those clean lungs of his, which never touched alcohol or cigarettes, are completely ruined, and the burn specialist hospital said they have never seen such thick, pitch-black layers of toxic substances accumulated before.]&br;
Employees noted that Lee had visited the office four years ago as well, scattering gasoline and making threats, and that this time appeared to be a premeditated act.

[Official from the Victimized Patent Firm: He studied how to ensure no one could escape and everyone would die, bringing and scattering the precise amount of thinner or gasoline.]&br;
[Lee Yoon-ho / Professor Emeritus of Police Administration, Dongguk University: If he just wanted to scare them, he would have scattered thinner and shouted, but he didn't do that. Setting fire to the only exit so people couldn't get out leaves no other interpretation than telling them to die.]&br;
The police plan to deploy a profiler soon to intensively investigate Lee's intent to kill and decide whether to apply attempted murder charges.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reporting: Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing: Kim Yoon-seong | Design: Lee Jong-jung)