Prosecution Indicts 20-Year-Old for Second Graffiti Incident at Gyeongbokgung Palace Violating Cultural Heritage Protection Act

A copycat who vandalized the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul with spray paint has been brought to trial.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun) announced on the 15th that Seol was arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.

Seol is accused of spray-painting graffiti in red on the left stone wall of Yeongchumun, the west gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, a nationally designated cultural property, on the 17th of last month. It was investigated that Seol committed the crime to attract people's attention after learning from news articles about similar acts committed by teenagers at the same location the day before.

Earlier, on the 22nd of last month, Judge Lee Min-su, in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant citing "concerns about evidence tampering." Prior to Seol, Lim (18), who was accused of graffiti at Gyeongbokgung, had his arrest warrant dismissed because he was a juvenile offender.

The prosecution stated, "We will do our best to ensure that the defendant, who damaged cultural heritage and caused public outrage, receives a sentence commensurate with the crime and that the damage is restored."