'Graffiti' American Repatriated from 9 Subway Stations Nationwide

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The main suspect among two foreign men who secretly drew graffiti on domestic subway trains has been apprehended overseas and repatriated to Korea.

On the 19th, Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station announced that they plan to apply for an arrest warrant for A (27), an American, on charges including joint property damage under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.

A is accused of entering nine subway train depots nationwide?including Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju?from September 14 to 24 last year, along with his accomplice B (28), an Italian, and drawing graffiti such as alphabet letters on the exterior walls of subway trains using lacquer spray.

In Incheon, graffiti spelling the word "WORD" measuring 2 meters wide and 1 meter high was found on the exterior wall of a subway train at a depot in Namdong-gu last September, drawn by A and others.

Graffiti painted on the Incheon Subway Line 2 train [Photo provided by Incheon Transit Corporation]

After receiving a report from the Incheon subway operator, the police formed a dedicated investigation team and began tracking the suspects. However, when A and others left for Vietnam through Incheon Airport, the police obtained an arrest warrant and requested a red notice from Interpol.

A was caught by local police in Romania in November last year and was forcibly repatriated to Korea on the 18th.

A police official stated, "Considering the seriousness of the case and the possibility of flight, we plan to apply for A's arrest warrant," and added, "We will swiftly apprehend B through international cooperative investigations."

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