British man arrested after free-climbing South Korean skyscraper
A British man was arrested Monday after free-climbing up to the 72nd floor of Lotte World Tower, the world’s fifth-tallest skyscraper, in Seoul.
More than 90 emergency, police and other personnel responded on Monday morning after the the man was spotted climbing the 123-story, 1,820-foot-tall building by a security guard inside around 8 a.m. local time.
The man made it to the 72nd floor without any safety ropes before officials took him onto a gondola and inside the building, the Seoul fire agency said in a statement.
“Lotte staff had to go on a gondola lift to persuade him to stop when he was still climbing above the building’s 70th floor,” a National Police Agency official said. “He finally gave in and we arrested him at the scene for obstruction of official business. He is currently being questioned at a police station in Seoul’s Songpa district.”
He planned to perform the stunt and leave the country while evading authorities, according to The Guardian.
The man, 24-year-old George King-Thompson, had a parachute in his possession and told police he planned to base jump from the top of the skyscraper. A number of his exploits have been shared on his Instagram account.
King-Thompson has been arrested for climbing buildings before. In 2018, he served prison time when he was charged with trespassing after climbing the 1,017-foot-tall Shard building in London, the tallest building in the U.K. He also climbed the 36-story Stratosphere Tower in east London in 2021 to raise awareness about climate change.
French climber Alain Robert climbed to the 75th floor of Lotte World Tower in 2018 before he was detained. However, Lotte Property & Development, which operates the tower, did not press charges.
With News Wire Services
