The police are searching for two men with parachutes who jumped off from the Busan skyscraper.
Yonhap News reported on the 18th that the Busan Haeundae Police Station is tracking the whereabouts of two men (presumed to be foreign nationals) who are under suspicion of trespassing.
According to the media, they secretly entered the observatory of the LCT building in Jung-dong, Haeundae District, Busan, around 7 am on the 15th and leaped off with parachutes.
The LCT is a building with 5 underground floors and 101 above-ground floors, a height of 1,348 feet. It consists of hotels, mixed-use apartments, and an observatory.
Two men, believed to be foreigners, managed to escape the manager’s notice and entered the building through the freight elevator. They went up to the 99th floor, where the observatory is located, jumped off using the parachutes they had prepared beforehand, and landed on the nearby sandy beach of Haeundae Beach.
A resident witnessed and reported to 112 that someone fell off from the LCT carrying a parachute.
The police rushed to the scene after receiving the report but could not confirm the men.
According to a report by the International Newspaper, it was confirmed that two men committed the act while staying at the Residence Hotel inside the LCT.
They were charged with trespassing after invading the observatory for non-residential or non-viewing purposes.
The law enforcement authorities are investigating two individuals who have jumped off the observatory. According to the preliminary analysis, these individuals are believed to be proficient in a sport known as “BASE jumping,” which involves descending from elevated structures such as buildings or cliffs with the aid of a parachute. The authorities are utilizing witness statements and closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings to locate and track the suspected individuals.
As per a police official who spoke with the International Newspaper, an investigation was launched after receiving reports from nearby witnesses. The incident in question, if mishandled, could cause a significant mishap in downtown areas. Consequently, it was deemed necessary to terminate any such activity. The authorities are currently probing the specifics of the episode to determine its exact circumstances.
Meanwhile, a similar incident occurred in Busan five years ago in 2019.
At that time, two foreigners of Russian nationality jumped off with parachutes from the rooftops of hotels in Haeundae District, including the LCT. They were fined 5 million won (about $4,200) with a departure prohibition order for trespassing charges. After depositing the fine of 5 million won, they returned to their home country.
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