A Man Tried to Set Himself on Fire at Upbit Offices in South Korea

According to local reports, a South Korean man was on his way to set himself on fire before Upbit’s customer service center, a domestic cryptocurrency exchange. SBS and iNews24 said that the unnamed individual was taken into custody and charged with attempted arson in an incident today.

Upbit’s staff members and users called the police as they witnessed the worrisome scene of the man pouring what seemed to be flammable thinner. According to witnesses, people noticed that he held a lighter above his head and threatened to put the flame on his body.

Still, there are mixed reports on what exactly happened, as some versions claim that the man, allegedly a 40-years-old South Korean, managed to throw the flammable liquid over himself.

Afterward, as police arrived at the scene, he was taken into custody at the Seoul Suseo Police Station, although it’s not clear which were the exact motives behind this incident.

“We found out that some of the flammable substances that were sprayed on the floor at the scene were splashed on the body, but not directly,” a police official told iNews24. “We plan to investigate the detailed motive and identity,” the official added.

The crypto exchange’s customer service center is located in Yeoksam, in the Gangnam District in Seoul.

‘Terrorist Crypto Scam’ in Japan

Last year, a bizarre incident happened in Japan about a bomb threat where the criminals asked for a crypto ransom. In an email sent to the Numata Town Hall, the terrorists announced they had planted a bomb in a women’s bathroom on the second floor. The officials claimed that the bomb would not go off as long as their payment demands were met before 03:00 UTC on June 29.

However, it turned out to be a fake threat and, thus, some sort of ‘terrorist crypto scam.’ Apparently, the people working inside the building were not aware of any suspicious activities taking place within the building, as no strangers appeared to be moving around.