Restoration of Graffiti at Gyeongbokgung Palace Halted Until the 26th Due to 'Arctic Cold Wave'... "Most Spray Paint Removed"

Work Resumes from the 27th... The Key Point is 'Color Matching'

Restoration work on the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall, damaged by spray paint graffiti, will be temporarily suspended until the 26th. This decision was made considering the arrival of cold weather severe enough to trigger Seoul's first cold wave warning of the winter, as well as the Christmas holiday period.

At around 10:30 a.m. on the 21st, the restoration site of the wall near Yeongchumun Gate, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The spray paint marks are almost erased.
[Photo by Choi Taewon]

An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration stated in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 21st, "Due to the cold wave and the holiday, we have decided to temporarily halt the restoration work on the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall from today until the 26th." The official added, "The restoration work is planned to resume on the 27th. The overall process of removing the spray paint marks is nearly complete. The main task next week will be color matching."

The Cultural Heritage Administration began restoration work on the 16th, the day the graffiti incident occurred. Twenty experts, including preservation specialists from the National Palace Museum and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, were involved in chemical treatment and laser cleaning operations.

The area around Yeongchumun Gate was treated with thinner and steam to remove the spray paint color. Restoration then proceeded using the microblasting method. Microblasting involves spraying fine sand at high pressure to scrape off contaminants. Around the museum's side gate, the surface was finely smoothed using a technique called 'dodeurak-dadeum' and damaged areas were removed with chemical agents. Subsequently, equipment such as 'laser cleaning' to burn off color, 'air tools' to chip away spray traces, and 'motor tools' to smooth surfaces were used.

At around 10:30 a.m. on the 21st, Yeongchumun Gate at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The nearby wall, damaged by graffiti, is covered with a tent for restoration work.
[Photo by Choi Taewon]

The key part of the final stage is color matching. When spray paint marks are removed, a difference in color compared to the surrounding area occurs, causing a sense of incongruity. This is because dust and foreign substances that had accumulated are also removed during the process. Professor Park Ji-seon of the Department of Cultural Heritage at Yongin University said, "When marks are removed, the color inevitably differs from the surroundings. Color matching is a crucial process to restore the original appearance. It is an essential step in all cultural heritage preservation treatments."

The police have applied for an arrest warrant for suspect A (17) on charges of violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. However, co-defendant B (16) was released around midnight on the same day, considering her age and degree of involvement. A and B are accused of spray painting phrases such as "Free Movie" and other expressions believed to refer to illegal video sharing sites on the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall area in the early morning of the 16th. The spray cans used as tools for the crime were reportedly purchased by them and discarded at the scene after the act.

During police investigation, A testified that he received a request through social networking services (SNS) from an unidentified person offering money to do graffiti, and that he sprayed the specified phrases at designated locations as instructed. The police arrested A at 7:08 p.m. on the 19th and co-defendant B seventeen minutes later at their residences in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

Meanwhile, the prosecution filed an arrest warrant with the court on the 17th for C, a man in his 20s who is a copycat offender that spray painted graffiti on the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall for the second time.

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