British adventurer describes climbing halfway up Lotte World Tower

British adventurer George King poses on a publicly accessible roof in downtown Seoul, July 3. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

George King woke up early on June 12. It was still dark when he left his motel in southeastern Seoul's Jamsil area, but the weather was already alarmingly humid. Down the street he walked, about 1 kilometer away from his hotel, was Lotte World Tower, the sixth-tallest building in the world.

His objective ― the entire reason he was in the country ― was to climb to the very top, barehanded and unassisted. Once reaching the top, 123 stories up, he planned to parachute down to a landing site he'd selected at a tennis court in a nearby apartment complex.

"The plan was to climb it and BASE (buildings, antennae, spans/bridges and earth/cliffs) jump off it," the British-born adventurer, 24, told The Korea Times. "My dream was to perform an urban freeBASE. To climb a skyscraper free solo and then jump from the top."

But he would end up going no farther than the 72nd floor.

"There were issues along the way, mostly out of my control," he said. "Retrospect can be haunting. In some ways I could have done it a different way. I do not see this project as a failure. It's actually far more progressive than that."

He'd been planning for the attempt since his first visit to Korea last November. On that trip he collected the information he would need, and after he left the country he began making his plan.

"I spent a long time planning it in terms of where I was going to access the building, how I was going to climb it, what was the most efficient way of doing it and what ways I was going to approach changes in the structure that were going to change the way I climb it," he said. "I had all these pieces of information which was mapped out before through surveillance mainly back in November, and then throughout January, February, March, April and May I put the puzzle together."

So when he showed up at the base of the 555-meter tower, he was all ready. This was not his first climb, as he already gained notoriety for climbing The Shard, London's 310-meter tower, as well as others. But the humidity level, even before sunrise, and the amount it was making him sweat was worrying.

"Nevertheless, I turned up, I stretched off, I warmed up, I put my heart rate up and began the climb," he said.

George King scales southern Seoul's Lotte World Tower without using equipment, June 12. / Courtesy of George King

The climb commenced at around 5 a.m., and nobody seemed to have noticed him. "I got in a nice flow, saw the sun come up and it didn't seem like anyone noticed at all for a long time, a couple hours, three hours maybe," he said.

"I was looking at the streets get busier and busier, and cars get moving and moving more and more and more sound elevating from the street below, and I was in my own world, this world which I know very very well from a lifetime of doing these things. It's a beautiful world, it's a mystical world, and in some ways it's a different dimension altogether to any kind of life I experienced beside it. I was experiencing a very pure, beautiful moment."

He climbed with no equipment, just his hands and feet. He placed his hands and feet in small holds that appeared at regular intervals in the building's surface, basically turning Lotte World Tower into a ladder that is 555 meters tall, with rungs about a meter apart.

"I really had to really lean back into them, sometimes guiding my foot into them. It was quite a stretch that really exasperated how strenuous it was, how physical it was ― but it was certainly manageable," said King, whose lean frame stands slightly over 2 meters tall.

The holds got progressively narrower and farther apart the higher he ascended.

"I knew this piece of information ― it was no news to me ― it was workable," he said. "I'm not going to say it was an easy task at all. It was a very physical climb, but it was certainly within my level of skill."

King is no amateur, having built up a great deal of experience over the years. He completed a BASE jumping course in France with world-renowned BASE jumper Tim Howell.

George King climbs past someone's window in southern Seoul's Lotte World Tower, June 12. / Courtesy of @jiyutube4789

He was finally reported shortly before 8 a.m., and a few minutes later, as he reached the 72nd floor, emergency workers came to intercept him. Using a cradle for washing windows, they parked directly above him, blocking his skyward route.

Based on the building's structure, he was only able to climb up, not traverse laterally and attempt to get around the cradle.

"They trapped me, so that was a bit of an issue," King said. "I still thought it looks like I've reached a situation where I can no longer climb anymore, but how about the jump?"

In order to deploy the parachute properly, he knew he would have to jump from a flat surface. So he climbed up toward the platform.

"The exit on a base jump is so important," he said. "Where I was, it just wasn't safe, it wasn't doable, so I thought my last resort was to get on this cradle and try to jump off, so that's what I tried to do. So I got on the window cradle machine with two operators on it, and I got myself over and ready to jump, and they grabbed me and they pulled me down. I was devastated, absolutely devastated. So I didn't get the jump."

Rescue workers prepare to deploy a cradle machine to apprehend George King, halfway up southern Seoul's Lotte World Tower, June 12. / Courtesy of George King

After his capture, he said he was taken to see various types of authorities, and faced hours of thorough interrogations. But he emphasized that he was always treated fairly and with respect.

King is no stranger to law enforcement and justice systems, with many of his adventures around the world, which he documents on Instagram @shardclimber, ending in arrest. From his 2019 adventure up London's Shard, he was sentenced to six months in jail and served three. He's also spent one or two days behind bars in Denmark, Spain and France. He explained he judges a country by how he's treated in custody, and gave Korea a top score.

In Korea, which is not used to dealing with extreme adventurers like building climbers and BASE jumpers, King faces a charge of obstructing a business. This is a common charge to file when it's unclear what else can be prosecuted, and also likely because King said he took care not to cause any property damage during his climb, which a Lotte official contacted by The Korea Times confirmed.

It's anyone's guess whether they will throw the book at him to deter such attempts in the future or let him off relatively easy. But King said he trusts the fairness of the system to treat him without prejudice.

King has been provided with legal representation through Riot E-Liquid, a vaping company that emphasizes smoking cessation. The two signed a sponsorship agreement seven months ago.

"They've been very helpful to me," King said.

George King wears a Riot shirt / Courtesy of Riot E-Liquid

Riot CEO Ben Johnson summed up the partnership with King and its continued support for him, tying it in with the company's mission.

"The reason we partnered with George is there are lots of parallels between his own journey ― and that of a smoker," he said in a statement to The Korea Times. "He is addicted to putting himself in an environment that puts himself under immense stresses and challenges. Although a smoker won't find themselves trying to quit at 10,000 feet, they do have to tackle failures and disappointments head-on when trying to quit and come back stronger ― just like George will. We're committed to supporting George, and we hope to get him home soon."

"Every challenge in life if it be smoking or conquering a building requires one's ability to be mentally resilient," King added. "I will overcome my adversities in order to achieve my dream with the power of the mind. The exact same way anyone struggling with their battle with quitting smoking can preserve. It is all in the mind."

For now, King has to remain in Korea while the investigation is ongoing.

"My freedom is restricted but my mind is not," he said. "I can't legally leave the country. I'm kind of stuck in time, I'm broke… but I'm free."

A Lotte official declined to comment on the issue, citing that the police investigation is still in progress.

Korea Times intern Kim Hee-su contributed to this article.