Man safely talked down from Changwon rooftop after 12-hour standoff

A man in his 40s was safely rescued on Monday after spending about 12 hours on the roof of a commercial building in Changwon, South Korea.

According to Jinhae Police Station, a call came in at around 10:22 a.m. reporting a man crouched on the edge of a five-storey building's rooftop in Jinhae District. Fire crews set up an air mat on the ground and readied an aerial ladder truck.

The man stayed silent. He did not state any intention or make any specific demands, police said.

A crisis negotiation team kept its distance so as not to provoke him, and talks dragged on into the night. Officers repeatedly told him, "Come down and let's talk, we'll hear your demands." At around 10:13 p.m., he climbed down from the edge on his own.

Because he had been exposed to the cold for so long and there were concerns about self-harm, police plan to arrange an emergency hospital admission after counselling at the scene. They will look into why he went up there once he has calmed down.