British climber detained in Seoul after scaling 72 floors of skyscraper


Seoul: A British man was apprehended by South Korean police in Seoul on Monday after he climbed 72 floors of the country's tallest building using only his hands.

The individual, identified as free climber George King-Thompson, previously served a three-month prison sentence for scaling London's Shard in 2019.

Upon spotting the climber ascending Lotte World Tower on Monday morning, over 90 police, fire, and emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, as confirmed by Seoul's fire department.

According to local reports, the climber reached the 72nd floor of the building without any equipment before being safely removed by a gondola lift. 

Footage from inside a room within the tower captured his daring ascent.

The man has been arrested on charges of trespassing and obstruction of business, with intentions of parachuting from the top of the tower, as per The Korea Herald.

Lotte Property & Development, the tower's operator, stated that the climber sustained minor injuries, including a cut on his right knee.

George King-Thompson previously achieved the feat of climbing London's 36-story Stratosphere Tower in 2021 in under 30 minutes.

In explaining his choice of the Seoul building, the climber expressed concern over recent flash floods in the area, aiming to raise awareness about the urgent issue of climate change.

It is worth noting that he is not the first person to scale Lotte World Tower. In 2018, French climber Alain Robert, also known as "Spider-Man," was detained after climbing to the 75th floor. 

However, Lotte officials later confirmed that they did not press charges against him for obstruction or trespassing.

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