▲ A British man climbs Lotte World Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the country, without permission, in this file photo taken June 12, 2023. (Yonhap)

British Spider-Man-prosecutors

British climber summarily indicted for ascending Lotte World Tower without permission

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors have summarily indicted a British free climber on charges of ascending up to the 72nd floor of the tallest skyscraper in Seoul without permission last month, legal sources said Tuesday.

George King-Thompson, 24, was taken into custody while climbing up the outer wall of the 123-story Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul with his bare hands on June 12, before he was escorted inside the building and captured by police.

The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors Office has summarily indicted him, seeking a punishment of 5 million won (US$3,864) in fines for obstructing business.

Police initially detained him on charges of trespassing, but they forwarded the case to the prosecution on charges of business obstruction, as he technically did not enter the building.

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 detained him by escorting him inside the building after he reached the 72nd story of the world's fifth-tallest tower at 8:47 a.m.

King-Thompson reportedly told the police that he entered South Korea three days before the climb for the purpose of BASE jumping and that he had started planning the ascent six months ago.

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.

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