Team Leader Lee Who Ordered Graffiti at Gyeongbokgung Palace Offered Job with 10 Million Won Monthly Salary

"Minors with Stable Residence"... Im's Arrest Warrant Denied
Spray Graffiti Restoration Costs Estimated at Tens of Millions of Won

A teenage boy named Im Mo, accused of graffiti on the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace, was revealed to have received a job offer with a monthly salary of 10 million won from 'Team Leader Lee,' who allegedly instructed him to commit the crime.

According to police investigation, Team Leader Lee proposed the graffiti act on Gyeongbokgung Palace to Im via Telegram, stating, "I have employees who each earn 10 million won per month, and if you do well this time, you can also become one of my employees."

Suspect of Graffiti on Gyeongbokgung Palace Wall Appears for Detention Hearing
Photo by Yonhap News

Team Leader Lee effectively cut off contact with Im after Im completed the crime and returned to Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. When the police investigation began, the last message Lee sent to Im was a single message saying, "Run away."

The Jongno Police Station in Seoul arrested and is currently investigating the teenage suspects Im Mo and Kim Mo, who are accused of graffiti on the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, in the early morning of the 16th.

The police applied for an arrest warrant for Im, but it was dismissed on the 22nd based on the fact that the suspect is a 17-year-old minor with a fixed residence, has admitted to the crime, and a substantial amount of related evidence has been secured.

Accordingly, the police are continuing the investigation into the circumstances of the crime involving the two suspects without detention, while tracking 'Team Leader Lee,' who allegedly instructed them to commit the crime via Telegram.

On the 16th, teenagers Im Mo and Kim Mo were seen graffitiing on the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding the copycat offender Seol, an arrest warrant was issued due to concerns about evidence tampering. Seol is accused of writing the name of a specific singer and album title with spray paint on the left wall near Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace around 10:20 p.m. on the 17th, the day after the palace wall was damaged.

Seol stirred controversy by posting on their blog on the 20th, saying, "I'm sorry. No, I'm not sorry. I was just doing art."

The damaged Gyeongbokgung Palace wall is currently undergoing restoration work. About 20 experts, including preservation specialists from the National Palace Museum and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, are conducting chemical treatment and laser cleaning.

The Cultural Heritage Administration is renting three pieces of equipment from the private sector to prevent the paint from penetrating the stone, with the rental cost alone amounting to about 4.5 million won per day, and the total restoration cost is expected to reach tens of millions of won.

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