'Gyeongbokgung Wall Graffiti' Suspect 'Team Leader Lee' Faces Arrest Decision

A man in his 30s, who was under investigation for instructing teenagers to graffiti the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, is now facing detention.

On the 4th, after the graffiti removal work on the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall was completed, officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration removed the covering from the wall at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The wall, restored through cleaning and color matching, was opened to the public from that day. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 24th that they plan to conduct a detention warrant hearing for the man in his 30s, identified as Mr. A, who is suspected to be the mastermind behind the graffiti.

The detention warrant hearing for Mr. A is scheduled to take place tomorrow (the 25th) at 2 p.m. at the Seoul Central District Court.

According to the police, Mr. A is accused of instructing Mr. B via Telegram last December to graffiti a 30-meter-long phrase saying "Free Movie WillOOtv.com feat Nunu" on the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the National Palace Museum, and the east gate wall of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

It is reported that Mr. A issued these instructions while changing his account names to "Team Leader Lee" and "Manager Kim," among others.