77-year-old man arrested for serial arson targeting patent law firms

A 77-year-old man named Lee was arrested after setting fire to two patent law firm offices in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, on the 20th. Lee, who was previously sentenced to prison four years ago for threatening employees with gasoline and scissors, claimed he targeted the firms because they had committed fraud regarding his design registration.

On the 20th, a man appeared in front of an office in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, carrying a canister of gasoline. After waiting for an employee to enter, he poured gasoline at the entrance and set it on fire without hesitation. He then took the remaining gasoline to another building approximately 200m away and committed arson using the same method. The fire reports for the two buildings were received within just seven minutes. The man responsible for the serial arson in the middle of Gangnam during a weekday was 77-year-old Lee.

Both buildings targeted by Lee housed patent law firm offices. Questions are mounting as to why he specifically targeted these two firms.

"I filed a patent, but the patent law firm committed fraud. I didn't mean to kill them; I just wanted to scare them," the suspect stated.

The two patent law firms targeted by Lee were the ones that had previously acted as agents for the design registration of exercise equipment he developed. After his arrest, when asked by reporters about his motive, Lee presented a single piece of paper. He claimed the patent law firm had deceived him, stating he never received the paper registration certificate during the overseas design registration process. This was not Lee's first time visiting the firm; four years ago, he was sentenced to prison for threatening employees with gasoline and scissors. Despite having been punished once, Lee returned to the same location and this time actually set fire to it, leaving many to wonder what a single piece of paper meant to him.

"Before setting the fire, they closed the door, came in, and looked me straight in the eye with a smirk. Aren't they devils?" a representative from the patent law firm said.

As the production team tracked Lee's movements, suspicious behavior prior to the crime was revealed. Although usually quiet and taciturn, Lee showed great attachment to the exercise equipment he developed, even encouraging those around him to experience it personally. It was confirmed that starting a month ago, he had requested to terminate his lease from his landlord, asking for his deposit back, and had inquired about canceling services he paid for regularly, stating, "I don't think I'll have a use for them anymore." Attention is focused on what he was preparing during that month as he attempted to settle his affairs before the crime.

On the 30th, at 8:50 PM, SBS's 'Curious Story Y' will trace the full story of the Yeoksam-dong serial arson case triggered by a single piece of paper.

A guest brought by a lost wallet

A video of a trip to Japan has recently heated up online communities. The protagonist of the video is Jeong Tae-gwan, a young Korean man who found a wallet on the street while traveling in Japan. Inside the wallet, which he happened to find near a hot spring, was cash exceeding 1.3 million won. Facing a wallet filled with cash and no credit cards, Jeong said he also fell into hesitation for a moment.

"The moment I picked it up, my heart was pounding so hard. If it had been a larger amount, it would have been even more intense. It would have been even more nerve-wracking and all sorts of thoughts would have come to mind. But for someone, that is a huge despair," said Jeong Tae-gwan, the Korean man who found the wallet.

Ultimately, Jeong set out to find the owner of the wallet. Surprisingly, the elderly man he encountered at a bus stop was the owner. The 82-year-old Japanese man had been in a desperate situation, having lost even his accommodation fees. Their dramatic encounter, which would have resulted in them missing each other if the bus had departed just five minutes earlier, moved many netizens. Their story did not end there. After returning to Korea, Jeong received an email from Japan. The sender was the grandfather who had lost the wallet.

"I enjoy watching Tae-gwan-sang's YouTube videos every day. I look forward to meeting you someday. If you don't come early, we will meet in heaven rather than Hiroshima!" read the email from the grandfather who lost the wallet.

The grandfather, who used a witty greeting to promise a future meeting, is known to have operated a personal website for over 20 years. On his website, the grandfather referred to Jeong, who found the wallet, as a "good young man" and preserved the memory of that day as a precious one. The two men differ in nationality, age, and the lives they have lived. As the number of people searching for Jeong's videos and the grandfather's website increases, more people are waiting for their second meeting. And finally, the two met again in Japan. Expectations are high for what stories will unfold during their second meeting.

On the 30th, at 8:50 PM, SBS's 'Curious Story Y' will reveal the scene of this special reunion, a connection that crossed borders starting from a single wallet.

Read the original (Korean)