The decision on whether to detain a man accused of damaging part of the wall at Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site, could be made as early as September 20.
The Seoul Central District Court will hold a pretrial detention hearing for Mr. A, a man in his 50s, at 2 p.m. on this day. He is suspected of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, and a warrant for his arrest has been requested.
On the 16th, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and Seoul Hyehwa Police Station, it was confirmed that roof tiles on the outer wall extending from the main gate of Jongmyo, Oedaemun, towards Seosunragil, were either fallen or damaged the previous day. Yonhap News
Mr. A is accused of breaking a total of 10 roof tiles-five convex and five concave-at three locations on the outer wall extending from the main gate of Jongmyo Shrine, Oedaemun, towards Seosunra-gil, at approximately 12:50 a.m. on September 15. The damaged tiles were repaired at around 3:15 p.m. the same day.
The Jongmyo Management Office discovered the damage during an early morning patrol and reported it. After tracking his movements, the police arrested Mr. A on an emergency basis on September 17 and requested a detention warrant the following day.
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