Man Arrested After Free Climbing 6th Largest Skyscraper In The World

A British man was arrested after he attempted to free-climb the 123-story Lotte World Tower in South Korea on Monday (June 12). The Lotte World Tower is the sixth-largest skyscraper in the world, measuring 1,820 feet.

The climber was identified as George King-Thompson, a British social media personality who shares photos and videos of his exploits on Instagram.

Authorities said that nearly 100 emergency personnel responded to the tower after receiving reports that Thompson was trying to scale the building without any safety equipment.

Rescue workers used a gondola to intercept Thompson on the 72nd floor of the building. He was then brought inside and taken into custody. He was wearing a parachute and told the police that he planned to BASE jump off the top of the building.

"Lotte staff had to go on a gondola lift to persuade him to stop when he was still climbing above the building's 70th floor," an official from the National Police Agency told The Guardian. "He finally gave in, and we arrested him at the scene for obstruction of official business. He is currently being questioned at a police station in Seoul's Songpa district."