Citizens Helped Rescue Trapped People as Yeoksam Arson Attacks Injured 19

Emergency Calls Reveal a Rescue Taking Shape

At about 11:55 a.m. on October 20, a caller reporting a fire in Seoul's Yeoksam-dong was doing two things at once: asking emergency services to rescue people trapped inside and shouting for others nearby to get out and take care. Around a minute earlier, another caller had told the emergency operator that someone had set a fire and that escape was impossible.

The attacks at two buildings in Gangnam district injured 19 people, including five with serious injuries and 14 with minor injuries. One person was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest, meaning their heart had stopped pumping blood effectively.

Transcripts from calls to 119, South Korea's fire and rescue emergency number, were released on October 24 through the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-sik, which obtained them from the National Fire Agency. Alongside the urgent calls, accounts from nearby business owners describe how ordinary people helped firefighters find trapped occupants and reach the scene.

Song In-hui, 69, stopped preparing food for a reservation of 30 people, switched off her kitchen gas and went outside after hearing cries for help. Her son helped firefighters set up a ladder. On the road, a pizza shop employee and a woman making deliveries directed traffic so emergency vehicles could get through.

A man in his 70s accused of setting the fires was detained under a court warrant issued on October 22. Police are considering an additional charge of attempted murder as they investigate whether he searched for a particular employee before the attacks.

A Restaurant Owner Spotted Two People at a Window

Song has operated a jokbal restaurant, serving a Korean dish of cooked pork trotters, beside Shinmyeong Building since 2012. She was busy preparing for the large lunch booking when fire engines passed outside. At first, she thought little of it because emergency vehicles were a familiar sight in the area.

A cry for help changed that. After turning off the gas and leaving her restaurant, Song saw two people calling for rescue from a window in the neighboring building. She went to the main road and alerted firefighters that people were trapped at the rear.

Song later explained that nobody else was nearby when she spotted them. She thought about their families and felt responsible for making sure rescuers knew where they were.

Her son, who works with her at the restaurant, helped firefighters install a rescue ladder. Firefighters then entered the building and rescued the two occupants. Song's role was to identify their location and bring it to the attention of the crews carrying out the rescue.

A Delivery Rider and Pizza Worker Cleared the Way

Traffic was another immediate problem around the fire scene. Kim Nu-ri, 39, who runs a nearby soup shop, described emergency vehicles struggling to move through a busy road.

A male employee from a nearby pizza franchise went outside before police arrived and began directing vehicles. A woman riding a motorcycle for deliveries also stopped and used hand signals to help manage traffic.

Kim recalled watching the delivery rider work amid the confusion and wanting to offer her a coffee afterward. The rider left after police arrived and took over management of the scene.

The two efforts addressed different needs at the same emergency: Song helped firefighters locate people behind the building, while the pizza worker and delivery rider helped open access from the street. Their actions connected the people waiting for rescue with the crews and equipment trying to reach them.

What the Emergency Calls Recorded

The call received at about 11:55 a.m. contained repeated requests for urgent rescue and warnings directed at people nearby. The caller told the operator that people were trapped inside while also urging those at the scene to move out and be careful.

About a minute earlier, another caller said a man had come and set a fire. When the emergency operator asked whether the caller could escape, the response was that they could not and needed help quickly.

The transcripts place people unable to escape at the center of the response. Fire and smoke had left occupants needing help from outside, while other people nearby were trying to guide evacuations and draw attention to those still inside.

The recorded calls and the restaurant owner's account describe separate parts of that response. The callers communicated directly with the emergency control room; Song went to the main road to tell firefighters about two people at a rear window.

Two Buildings and 19 Injured People

The suspect is accused of setting fires at patent law offices on the third floor of Shinmyeong Building and the fourth floor of Hanyang Building on the morning of October 20. Both buildings are in Yeoksam-dong, a neighborhood in Seoul's Gangnam district.

Accounts of the scene described people escaping through windows and waiting close to the outside walls for rescue. Intense heat damaged parts of the buildings' exterior structures.

Five of the 19 injured people suffered serious injuries, just over a quarter of the total. The other 14 had minor injuries. The latest condition of the person transported in cardiac arrest was not given.

The sequence of events stretches from purchases allegedly made before the fires to the later release of emergency call transcripts:

• October 16: The suspect reportedly bought a plastic container, a lighter and flammable materials near his home.
• October 20: Fires broke out at the two buildings. Emergency calls included requests for help at about 11:54 a.m. and 11:55 a.m.
• October 21: Police sought a detention warrant after questioning the suspect and examining the scenes.
• October 22: Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant.
• October 24: Lee Sang-sik's office disclosed details from the emergency call transcripts obtained from the National Fire Agency.

Why the Court Ordered Detention

Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant on October 22, citing concern that the suspect might flee. Judge Bu Dong-sik handled the warrant review. The accusations included setting fire to an occupied building and causing injury.

A detention warrant allows investigators to keep a suspect in custody while the criminal case proceeds. The court's decision at this stage concerns custody; a trial determines guilt and any punishment.

In seeking detention, police cited the suspect's notice to end his housing lease around the day of the attacks and his recent release from prison. They also pointed to indications that he had discarded tools used in the attacks, raising concern about destruction of evidence.

Police said the suspect largely admitted the acts during initial questioning. Investigators conducted examinations of the fire scenes and continued questioning him about preparations and intent.

The Patent Dispute Behind the Suspect's Claims

The suspect has repeatedly claimed that patent law firms defrauded him over patent registration documents. Investigators traced the dispute to his demand for physical paper registration certificates after he had commissioned patent applications.

He reportedly became resentful after being told that certificates could only be issued online under the relevant policy. An earlier police investigation had concluded that he had not been a victim of fraud, yet he continued making the allegation.

Outside court on October 22, the suspect denied wanting to kill the patent attorney. He described his intention in these words:

I was not trying to kill him; I meant to scare him.

He also displayed papers that he claimed supported his allegations, referring to patents in Britain, Europe and Russia. Asked about the injured people, he expressed regret but returned to his claims about the documents.

The suspect had reportedly been arrested and detained four years earlier over preparations to set fire to the same patent law firms. Investigators also identified the purchases allegedly made on October 16, four days before the latest attacks.

Police Examine Whether a Specific Person Was Targeted

Police are reviewing whether to add an attempted murder charge because of statements that the suspect looked for a particular employee before setting the fires. When asked whether he had gone to see the patent agent handling his case, the suspect acknowledged that he had.

The suspect denied intending to kill anyone. He also denied an allegation, put to him in a question outside court, that he had set a fire near an elevator to block escape.

For investigators, the issue is his intention when he started the fires. Attempted murder involves an alleged attempt to kill, while the arson accusation concerns setting fire to an occupied building and causing injury. Police had not announced a decision on the additional charge.

Police were also seeking medical records to check whether he had a history of psychiatric illness, citing indications of a strong fixation on registration certificates. No medical finding was announced.

Key Points

• Fires at two Yeoksam-dong buildings on October 20 injured 19 people, five seriously.
• Emergency call transcripts recorded people unable to escape and callers urging immediate rescue.
• Restaurant owner Song In-hui alerted firefighters to two trapped people, and her son helped with a ladder.
• A pizza shop employee and a delivery rider directed traffic before police arrived.
• A court ordered the suspect detained on October 22 because of concern he might flee.
• Police are considering attempted murder charges while investigating whether he sought a particular employee.