Scribbling on the royal palace walls [REWIND 2023]
![The walls of Yeongchumun Gate, the west entrance of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, is vandalized with spray paint on Dec. 16. Two teen suspects were caught on Tuesday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/12/28/9c849cbf-317a-4d91-bfc2-b57211467a20.jpg)
The walls of Yeongchumun Gate, the west entrance of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, is vandalized with spray paint on Dec. 16. Two teen suspects were caught on Tuesday. [YONHAP]
The historic Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul was vandalized with spray paint graffiti in mid-December, and not just once: The next night, yet another fresh batch of graffiti appeared on the walls.
The Cultural Heritage Administration immediately began a restoration project that would take up to a few weeks, and the Seoul Jongno Police Station got to work tracking down the suspects by analyzing security camera footage.
The police are now investigating the culprits: two males, one 17 and one in his 20s, who both admitted to the crime on separate days. The teenager, who is responsible for the first graffiti, claimed that somebody had offered to pay him to spray-paint the address of illegal streaming websites, while the man in his 20s said he had “wanted attention” for the second.
The police are now trying to identify the person who had given the order to the teenager. The Gyeongbok Palace walls are set to return to normal on Jan. 4.
REWIND 2023
In 2023, Korea witnessed a tumultuous year in its entertainment and culture scenes. A drug scandal sent shock waves through the industry, ensnaring luminaries like Yoo Ah-in, G-Dragon and Lee Sun-kyun, with Lee reportedly dying by suicide at the age of 48 on Wednesday. BTS members one by one reported for duty to fulfill their looming military service, and Blackpink decided to stand united as a quartet with YG. The K-pop market grappled with alleged tampering scandals, involving artists Fifty Fifty, EXO, Omega X and soloists like Chuu. K-dramas continued their global reign, with "Moving" on Disney+ and "The Glory" on Netflix ranking among the most viewed shows worldwide. Korean literature earned accolades, with the international recognition of Cheon Myeong-kwan and Han Kang's works. Historic cultural landmarks and treasures also made the news, from vandalized Gyeongbok Palace walls to Jikji's exhibition and Gucci's fashion show in Gyeongbok Palace. Only two Korean films were able to make the 10 million ticket sales mark.
Here are the top 10 culture stories in 2023:
1. Lee Sun-kyun dies by suicide, drug scandal sweeps entertainment scene
2. Bye for now, BTS says
3. Blackpink 'fourever'
4. Cupid's roller coaster ride
5. Streaming services up the ante with hit shows
6. Scribbling on the royal palace walls
7. Fiction books find global acclaim
8. Jikji sees spotlight after half a century in hiding
9. Luxury brands secure their spot in Korea
10. Two films in the 10 million club
BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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