Ascent attempts take place at the Lotte World Tower; 123 storey high building. At 555 meters, it is also the fifth tallest building in the world. The 24 year old Brit made it to the 73rd floor.

Once there, the man is forced by the authorities to enter a skyscraper. He was then taken by the police for questioning.

The man started climbing around 5:00 a.m. local time, according to South Korean media. Nearly three hours later, at around 7.50am, he was found by a security guard, who called the police. It was reported that a foreigner in his underwear climbed outside the building, Yonhap news agency reported.

An air cushion was placed under the building by rescuers in case the Englishman fell. Rock climbing without ropes is known in the rock climbing world as ‘free climbing’. In addition, it is not allowed to use equipment to help climb.

Previous prison sentence

South Korean media have identified the man as George King-Thompson. He was previously arrested and sentenced to prison for climbing The Shard in London four years ago. At 310 meters high, it is the tallest building in Great Britain.

While this is the first time the 24-year-old has attempted to climb the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, it is not the first time free climbers have targeted the tower. In 2018, Alain Robert, also known as the French spiderman, is trying to reach the top.

Robert was half way up when he had to stop climbing. He was also arrested by the police.