Clicking the Proof Shot... Gyeongbokgung Wall Vandalism Captured on CCTV

After 5 Minutes of Doodling, Photo Taken with Cell Phone
Cultural Heritage Administration "Deploying 20 People for Restoration Work"

A cultural heritage site wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul was vandalized with spray paint graffiti, and restoration work is underway as CCTV footage capturing the act has been released.

According to Jongno Police Station and the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 18th, at around 1:50 a.m. on the 16th, someone spray-painted phrases such as "Free Movie" around the left and right sides of Yeongchumun Gate on the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace and near the side gate by the National Palace Museum, which appear to promote illegal video sharing sites.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

The CCTV footage released by KBS that day shows a person dressed in dark clothing wandering around the Gyeongbokgung wall area. After confirming that no one was around, the individual spray-painted graffiti. The person used red and blue spray paint for about five minutes and then took out a mobile phone to take a verification photo.

The police are tracking two suspects identified through nearby CCTV footage.

On the 17th, additional graffiti was found on the Gyeongbokgung wall. The newly discovered graffiti was on the left side wall of Yeongchumun Gate, which was already damaged by previous graffiti and is currently undergoing restoration by the Cultural Heritage Administration. The new graffiti, written in red spray paint, reportedly included the name of a specific singer and album.

Regarding this, the police suspect that one of the suspects committed this act as an imitation crime of the previous day's graffiti.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has begun restoration work on the wall. A representative stated on the 17th, "We have deployed 20 experts, including preservation specialists from the National Palace Museum and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, to resume cleaning and restoration work."

The restoration involves laser cleaning and chemical treatment methods. Since some of the spray paint has penetrated the surface and the weather has become colder, it is expected to take at least a week to remove the graffiti.

Gyeongbokgung Palace, the royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty, is designated as a national cultural heritage site, and the entire wall area including the left and right sides of Yeongchumun Gate is included in the designated historic site range. Under current law, anyone who damages nationally designated cultural properties is subject to imprisonment with labor for at least three years. It is prohibited to write, draw, or carve letters or pictures on designated cultural heritage sites such as historic sites, and violators may be ordered to restore the site to its original state or be charged for related costs.

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