A British man who had previously been jailed for climbing the Shard in London without equipment was arrested in South Korea after attempting to scale the country’s tallest skyscraper, police said. The individual was climbing the 123-story Lotte World tower in southern Seoul in the early hours of Monday morning when staff spotted him, forcing him to stop his ascent when he reached the 73rd floor.
Local media identified the man as George King-Thompson, 24, from Oxford, previously known for performing dangerous stunts and publicizing them on social media. According to a National Policing Agency official, Lotte employees had to ride a cable car up to persuade him to stop while he was still climbing above the 70th floor of the building. He finally relented and was arrested on the spot for obstruction of official duties. He is currently being questioned at a police station in Seoul’s Songpa district.
The Lotte World Tower, which is 555 meters high, is the sixth tallest building in the world. The man, who was wearing only shorts, climbing shoes, and a small backpack, intended to evade Korean authorities and take a flight out of the country immediately after performing the stunt, according to a press release pre-drafted before the climb.
George King-Thompson shot to fame when he was sentenced to six months in prison in 2019 for climbing the Shard. Since his release, he has climbed the 36-story Stratosphere tower in Stratford, east London, and was reportedly arrested in 2022 in Spain for base jumping from Europe’s tallest roller coaster.
The incident prompted a massive response by more than 90 emergency personnel, police, and other services at the Lotte World Tower. According to the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, police arrested him on trespassing charges. He had reportedly entered South Korea three days earlier and told police that it had been a lifelong dream to climb the Lotte Tower.
In 2018, Alain Robert, known as the “French Spiderman,” was jailed after climbing the same building without permission, reaching the 75th floor.