Gyeongbok Palace wall graffiti suspect surrenders

Social Affairs

Published: 18 Dec. 2023, 15:07 Updated: 18 Dec. 2023, 18:21

Gyeongbok Palace wall graffiti suspect surrenders

A man in his 20s, who most recently vandalized the wall of the Gyeongbok Palace, returns home after being investigated by the police. The man turned himself in early in the afternoon. [YONHAP]

A set of graffiti was found on the walls of Yeongchumun, the western gate of Gyeongbok Palace, on Saturday. [YONHAP]

The suspect who most recently vandalized the left wall of Yeongchumun, the western gate of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, turned himself in on Monday.

The man in his 20s confessed to having spray-painted the graffiti on the wall Sunday night, copying the crime committed the night before.

A fresh set of graffiti was found on the already-vandalized walls of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul on Sunday, adding to the 44-meter (144-foot) span of graffiti that had been spray-painted on the wall the night before, according to police reports.

The new graffiti covered an area of the wall 3 meters long and 2 meters high. The suspect spray-painted in English the name of a K-pop act and its album's name with red and blue paint, similar to the graffiti done the day before.

A bus driver driving past the area reported the second incidence to the police on Sunday night.

The police said that after analyzing security camera footage they saw a suspect spray-painting the left wall of Yeongchumun at around 10:20 p.m. Sunday.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday that security guards will be dispatched to Seoul’s four major palaces — Gyeongbok Palace, Deoksu Palace, Changdeok Palace and Changgyeong Palace — to prevent any further vandalism to the country’s royal palaces.

The administration will also add about 20 more security cameras along the walls of Gyeongbok Palace. Currently there are 14 cameras surveilling the walls and 415 inside the palace grounds.

The police are still tracking down the suspects of Saturday's vandalism.

The graffiti found Saturday was spray painted in Korean with red and blue paint. The words "free movie" and a web address to an apparent illegal streaming website were spray-painted multiple times.

About 20 preservation specialists were dispatched to Gyeongbok Palace early Saturday morning after the graffiti was reported.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said it is working hard to wipe off the graffiti, but Sunday's additional graffiti has added another estimated week of restoration.

Gyeongbok Palace is a state-designated cultural property, and the walls of Yeongchumun make up part of the palace.

“The Cultural Heritage Administration will make sure those who damage Korea’s state-designated cultural heritages will be held accountable for violating the country’s Cultural Properties Protection Law,” an official from the administration said. Those who violate the law can be sentenced up to five years in prison or fined up to 50 million won ($38,500).

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]