SEOUL - Less than a day after another piece of graffiti defaced one of South Korea’s most significant cultural heritage sites, a suspect turned himself in, according to officials on Dec 18.
The suspect, who is believed to be a man in his 20s, voluntarily surrendered to the Seoul Jongno Police Station at around 11.45am for the second incident of vandalism. He underwent police questioning about the crime, including whether he had an accomplice.
The police are still looking for two suspects who vandalised the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace on Dec 16.
On Dec 17 at about 10.30pm, the Seoul Jongno Police Station received a report of a separate graffiti attack at the palace.
The 3m-long and 1.8m-high graffiti was discovered on the walls of Yeongchumun, the west gate of the palace, which the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) was restoring after it was desecrated on Dec 16.
It consisted of the name of an indie rock band called The Black Skirts, along with the title of a song by the band and the shape of a heart spray-painted in red, according to the police.
The police suspect the second incident may be a copycat crime of the graffiti incident on Dec 16.
They plan to examine the connection to the previous crime once an arrest has been made. They also plan to hold the suspect accountable for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.
Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, is a state-designated historic site, meaning all the walls surrounding it are recognised as cultural heritage.
The Cultural Heritage Protection Act bans writing, drawing or carving on designated cultural heritage. Violation of the law may result in an order for substantial repair and restoration of the state-designated cultural property, a prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won (S$51,200).
On Dec 16, from 1.42am to 2.44am, a wall of the Joseon era (1392-1910) royal palace was vandalised with red and blue spray paint.
The perpetrator repeatedly sprayed the term “free movie” in Korean, along with Web addresses to illegal video-sharing and streaming platforms across sections of the wall spanning 44m.
The graffiti was painted on the left and right sides of Yeongchumun and the side gate near the National Palace Museum of Korea, according to the CHA. Similar graffiti, likely done by the same suspect, was spotted on the walls of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, adjacent to Gyeongbokgung.
Soon after the incident, the CHA temporarily covered up the graffiti and said it would deploy preservation specialists to wipe it off and restore the affected parts.
It also plans to add 20 additional cameras outside the walls of the royal grounds from the current 14.
Police intelligence and detective teams jointly launched a probe into the case on Dec 16, and they suspect two people are behind the crime.
THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
