"'Jeongsangseok Missing' Mystery Solved... 'Rolled Down in Anger at Hiker's Boastfulness'"

Summit Markers on Mountain Peaks in Northern Gyeonggi Disappear One After Another... Police Arrest Man in His 20s

The summit marker of Suraksan before it disappeared (left) and the traces left after the summit marker disappeared. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, Online Community

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The suspect in the case of summit markers disappearing one after another from mountain peaks in the northern Gyeonggi area, including Suraksan and Bulamsan, has been apprehended by the police. The suspect, a man in his 20s identified as A, testified that he started hiking to relieve stress from his part-time job and ended up committing the crimes.

The Namyangju Northern Police Station announced on the 31st that A was arrested and is under investigation on charges including property damage.

A is accused of damaging summit markers on Suraksan’s main peak, Dojeongbong, Dosolbong, Guksabong, and Bulamsan’s Aegibong, discarding them in the hills, and cutting safety ropes installed on Suraksan’s Gichabawi rock.

The police apprehended A at his home in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day after conducting inquiries near the incident sites. The investigation faced difficulties due to the absence of CCTV at the crime scenes, but based on witness statements describing a suspicious person carrying a metal lever-like tool, the police tracked down A.

A testified that he began hiking to relieve stress from his part-time job and then committed the crimes. During the police investigation, A said, "I happened to push a summit marker, and when it moved, I started rolling it down," adding, "For the summit markers that didn’t move by hand, I damaged them using metal levers and other tools." He especially said, "I got angry seeing hikers boast, saying 'I erected the summit marker,' so I rolled the markers down."

A initially denied the charges but confessed after a search warrant was requested.

The police believe A committed the crimes simply for fun and have seized his mobile phone to investigate the exact motive and methods.

Earlier this month, the police launched an investigation after reports that summit markers on Suraksan’s main peak, Dojeongbong, and Dosolbong had disappeared consecutively, and six safety ropes installed around Suraksan’s summit at Gichabawi rock were damaged. On the 22nd, the summit marker on Bulamsan’s Aegibong, not far from Suraksan, also disappeared.

Except for the summit marker on Guksabong, all other markers were found nearby and restoration procedures are underway by local governments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.