'Graffiti Damage' Gyeongbokgung Wall 80% Restored... Total Restoration Cost?

Specialized Equipment and Supplies Cost 22 Million KRW, Over 100 Million KRW Including Labor
Cultural Heritage Administration "Claims Damages from 3 Suspects for Restoration Costs"
110 Additional CCTVs to Be Installed in Palaces and Jongmyo by 2025

The Gyeongbokgung Palace wall damaged by 'spray graffiti vandalism' has been restored. The estimated cost for restoring the damaged wall alone exceeds 100 million KRW.

On the 4th, after the graffiti removal work on the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace was completed, officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration removed the barriers covering the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The walls, restored through cleaning and color matching, were opened to the public from that day. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

On the 4th, the Cultural Heritage Administration completed the preservation treatment of the spray graffiti on the wall, removed the protective barriers installed around Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the side gate of the National Palace Museum after inspection, and fully reopened the area. This came 19 days after the barriers were installed on December 16 of last year. On the same day, the Cultural Heritage Administration also announced a comprehensive plan to prevent recurrence of damage to national heritage sites.

The spray graffiti vandalism occurred twice on December 16 and 17 last year on the palace walls around the left and right sides of Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the side gate area of the National Palace Museum, damaging a total length of 36.2 meters?12.1 meters on both sides of Yeongchumun Gate and 24.1 meters around the museum’s side gate. The arrest warrant for the first graffiti perpetrator, a teenage boy, was dismissed. The second perpetrator, a man in his 20s, was sent to detention.

The Cultural Heritage Administration conducted preservation treatment work on the damaged wall with an average daily workforce of 29.3 people over eight days after discovering the graffiti. This included the use of specialized equipment such as ▲laser cleaners ▲steam cleaners ▲blasting equipment, which were deployed for five days.

The total rental cost for the equipment was calculated at 9.46 million KRW. Consumables such as cold-weather gloves, respirators, and dustproof suits cost 12.07 million KRW. The combined cost for equipment rental and consumables amounted to 21.53 million KRW based on the workdays.

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to request an appraisal from a professional evaluation agency to assess the total restoration cost, including expert labor costs, and then file a claim for damages. So far, a total of 234 personnel have been involved in the work, including about 60 restoration experts and 100 researchers from the National Palace Museum. The total labor cost is estimated to be around 100 million KRW when applying the standard cultural heritage repair rates, special fees for fence and barrier personnel, and travel expenses.

On the morning of the 4th, Lee Tae-jong, a research curator at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, demonstrated graffiti removal using laser equipment at Yeongchumun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. On this day, the Cultural Heritage Administration unveiled the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall after the graffiti removal work was completed.
[Video = Photo by Kim Hee-yoon]

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to finalize the preservation treatment after monitoring the surface condition of the wall. As of this date, the progress rate is approximately 80%.

The preservation work around Yeongchumun Gate and the museum’s side gate was carried out using different methods. Around Yeongchumun Gate, the wall has a six-post structure with generally flat stone surfaces, so a fine blasting method was applied. The walls around the museum’s side gate had differing conditions on each side, so different preservation methods were used accordingly.

The left side wall of the museum was in poor overall condition, so repeated laser cleaning was performed followed by finishing with motor tools. The right side wall was in relatively good condition, but the graffiti covered a wide area, so chemical and physical methods (laser cleaning, air tools, motor tools, etc.) were combined, and color matching was done to complete the first stage of preservation treatment.

Choi Eung-cheon, Commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, is briefing on the restoration work of the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall and the comprehensive measures to prevent the recurrence of damage to national heritage at the auditorium of the National Palace Museum in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Damage Compensation for Wall Vandalism to be Claimed from All Three Perpetrators

Damage compensation claims for the graffiti vandalism are expected to be filed against all three individuals: the teenage boy and girl who first left the graffiti and the man in his 20s who committed the copycat act. The Gyeongbokgung Palace authorities are legally reviewing the compensation claim procedures, the scope of labor cost calculations, and similar cases or court rulings through consultation with a law firm.

On the same day, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced measures to strengthen safety management of major cultural heritage sites, including the four major palaces, Jongmyo Shrine, and Joseon Royal Tombs, to prevent similar incidents in the future.

At Gyeongbokgung Palace, patrols, which were autonomously conducted 2 to 4 times during less frequented nighttime hours, will be increased to 8 times. The number of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras monitoring the outer wall area will be expanded from 14 to 34 by adding 20 more cameras. Including 21 cameras at Changdeokgung Palace, 15 at Changgyeonggung Palace, 15 at Deoksugung Palace, 25 at Jongmyo Shrine, and 14 at Sajikdan Altar, a total of 110 CCTV cameras will be installed at major palaces, Jongmyo, and royal tombs by 2025.

The Cultural Heritage Administration will also check for any gaps in the management of other national heritage sites beyond palaces and royal tombs. By next month, they will identify vulnerable areas prone to graffiti damage in cooperation with local governments and conduct monthly monitoring through care projects for the identified locations. The number of personnel assigned to care monitoring (observation) inspections will be increased from 130 to 160.

Furthermore, recognizing the importance of raising awareness to prevent cultural heritage damage, the administration plans to widely promote the 'Cultural Heritage Damage Reporting' system (☎1661-9112), currently operated in connection with the National Petition System, and is considering a reward system that provides incentives to reporters.

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "We will calculate the total cost, including expert labor fees, through a professional appraisal agency and then file a claim for damages. We will strictly enforce relevant laws and respond strongly without leniency to prevent recurrence of damage to national heritage sites."

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