Man nabbed over arson threat on Taiwan consulate

An ethnic Taiwanese man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening an arson attack on the Taiwanese consulate in Seoul, police said Friday.

The 52-year-old suspect, who is of Taiwanese descent but born in South Korea, was arrested late Thursday after allegedly calling the police twice and threatening to set fire to the consulate building, police said.

The suspect, identified only by his last name Lee, was also reported to the police after raising a ruckus outside the Chinese Embassy in downtown Seoul.

Lee said he was angry because he had difficulty being issued a Taiwanese passport, according to the police. The suspect lives on the streets without a family or job and has 32 previous convictions, they added.

Police said they plan to seek a warrant to detain the suspect.

The incident took place only hours after a South Korean activist attacked U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Mark Lippert with a knife, slashing him in the face and wrist. (Yonhap)