Foreign National 'Detained' for Posting Defaced Macron Photo at French Embassy in Korea

Seodaemun Police Station, Seoul / Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] A foreign man who posted a defaced photo of French President Emmanuel Macron on the wall of the French Embassy in South Korea has been arrested.

Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul arrested A (25) on the 7th on charges of threatening a diplomatic envoy.

The Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant after a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) that afternoon, citing "concerns of evidence tampering and flight risk."

According to the police, A, along with his accomplice, foreigner B, is accused of posting five flyers on the wall of the French Embassy located in Seodaemun-gu around 10:30 p.m. on the 1st and fleeing the scene.

The flyers they posted contained messages such as "Do not destroy our religion" and "Those who point a sword at us shall be killed by that sword," and a flyer with a red pen X mark over President Macron's photo was also found.

A was apprehended on the 4th in a provincial city, and B was also caught by the police two days later. The police are reviewing the handling of accomplice B's custody.

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