"Additional Verification Needed After Arresting Suspect and Accomplices"
The police investigating the vandalism incident at the gravesite of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, revealed that the last character inscribed on the stone found in the burial mound was identified as '氣' (energy, gi).
Photo by Lee Jae-myung, captured from the Facebook page of the Democratic Party of Korea representative.
On the 30th, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency announced that, according to the National Forensic Service's analysis, the characters inscribed on two stones found in holes located to the right and behind the gravesite of Lee's parents in Gwanchang-ri, Myeongho-myeon, Bonghwa-gun, were confirmed to be '生明氣' (Saengmyeonggi, meaning "life energy").
The hole at the front, previously thought to have been vandalized, was determined to have been created by the family inserting a cross for worship purposes.
Earlier, on the 12th, Lee shared a photo of the stone with the inscription on his Facebook, revealing that the burial mound of his parents had been vandalized by someone. Some speculated that the inscription carried a shamanistic meaning, suggesting "cutting off the descendants' lifeline to cause death."
There were three holes (left, right, and back) on the surface below the burial mound of Lee's parents. Stones were found in the holes, and in the photo shared by Lee, the stone bore Chinese characters starting with '生明' (Saengmyeong, meaning "life"). The last character was unclear in the photo but was confirmed as '氣' (gi) by the National Forensic Service.
The police stated that after consulting multiple scholars and experts about the meaning of the inscription on the stone, many opinions indicated it did not have a negative connotation. However, further investigation into the perpetrator's intent and specific motives will be necessary after the suspect is apprehended.
The police plan to continue gathering clues by analyzing nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and conducting inquiries with residents and visitors in the area.
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