High-rise painter dies after man cuts safety rope

Police plan to seek an arrest warrant for a man who allegedly cut a safety rope anchored to the top of a high-rise building to keep the dangling painter from falling, police said Tuesday. The worker fell to his death.

The incident occurred Thursday at around 8 a.m. at a 15-story apartment building in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, while workers, hanging on harnesses, were painting the building.

Yangsan Police nabbed the suspect, a 41-year-old resident, on Monday.

According to their initial investigation, the man complained of loud music from the cellphone of one of the painters, went to the rooftop and cut through a 1.8-centimeter thick rope by which the 40-year-old painter was suspended. Police said they found the kitchen knife at the suspect’s home that was allegedly used to cut the rope.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)