A British man in his 20s climbs Lotte World Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the country, without permission on June 12, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) – A British free climber was taken into custody Monday after reaching the 72nd floor of South Korea’s tallest skyscraper in Seoul by climbing up the outside with his bare hands, police said.
The 24-year-old, identified as George King-Thompson, began his ascent up the 123-story Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul at around 5 a.m. before a security guard found him around 7:50 a.m. and called the police, saying a foreigner, only in his underwear, was climbing up the outer wall of the building.
Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene at 8:03 a.m. and installed a safety air mat to prepare for a possible fall, but he kept on climbing and reached the 72nd story of the 555-meter-high building, the world’s fifth tallest, at 8:47 a.m.
He was then allowed to ride a gondola-like lift, known as a building management utility, and escorted inside the tower through the opening of a smoke ventilation system, and was detained by the police waiting for him inside.
He was not injured but showed signs of exhaustion, which he recovered from, the police said.
King-Thompson told the police that he entered South Korea three days ago for the purpose of BASE jumping, which stands for jumping off buildings, antennas, spans and earth using wing suits or parachutes.
He also said it was a long-held dream of his to climb the Lotte World Tower and fly, and he started planning the climb six months ago.
Police booked him on charges of trespassing after confirming that he climbed the building without permission from Lotte World Tower authorities.
In 2019, he was also jailed after scaling the Shard, the tallest building in Britain, which is 310 meters high and 72 stories.
Meanwhile, French climber Alain Robert, also known as the “French Spider-Man,” was arrested in 2018 for climbing Lotte World Tower without approval. At that time, he climbed up to the 75th floor.
(Yonhap)
