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| Vitaliy Raskalov on top of Lotte World Tower / Courtesy of Instagram |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Ukraine photographer Vitaliy Raskalov, known for taking pictures from atop high-rise buildings, slipped through security at Seoul's Lotte World Tower and captured a shot atop the 555-meter structure.
On Sunday, Raskalov posted a photo on Instagram that showed him standing on a crane on top of the tower, which is still under construction. Seokchon Lake, next to the tower, can also be seen.
"Get ready for the new video. Seoul, Lotte World Tower 610 meters tall," Raskalov said on the SNS site.
Two days later, Raskalov posted on the SNS site another photo of the tower from a nearby rooftop, saying "When you realize, I'll be there."
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| Lotte World Tower released posters saying Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov had been banned from the building. |
The photographer appears to have entered the building in the early hours last weekend to avoid security. Before his stunt, posters were released banning Raskalov and his Russian partner, photographer Vadim Makhorov, from the building. The poster gave a phone number to call if they were spotted.
A Lotte Corporation spokesman said they could only guess that Raskalov entered the tower last weekend, but could not give an exact time. He said it was also not known how the photographer got to the top of the building.
"Because he climbs buildings in the most nonsensical methods by climbing up walls or exterior surfaces, it is difficult to prevent his entry into the building," the spokesman was quoted as saying in the Chosun Biz daily.
The two urban explorers manage a website called "On The Roofs," where they post photos of the places they have climbed. These include the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the International Finance Center in Hong Kong, Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Their latest post shows a climb to the top of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
During the Lunar New Year holiday in 2014, Raskalov and Makhorov climbed the Shanghai Tower, the world's second-tallest building, and recorded the escapade in a video that attracted more than 44 million YouTube views. Chinese authorities have banned the climbers from entering the country.
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