'Gyeongbokgung Second Vandalism' Suspect in 20s Admits Guilt... "Please Give Me Time to Compensate"

A man in his 20s named Seol, who was prosecuted for damaging the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace with spray paint, admitted to the charges at his first trial.

Seol Mo, suspected of making a second graffiti on the wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace (violation of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act), is being transferred from Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Criminal Division 24 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Choi Kyung-seo) held the first hearing on the 26th for Seol, who was prosecuted for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. On this day, Seol's defense attorney stated, "He admits all the charges and is deeply remorseful."

He added, "He regrets having hurt the hearts of those who love Gyeongbokgung Palace," and said, "He also feels sorry for those working hard on the restoration efforts."

However, Seol's side requested the court to allow time to compensate once the restoration costs are specifically assessed through appraisal.

In response, the court announced that the next hearing will be held on May 13 to discuss the restoration costs, and a verdict will be delivered in June.

Seol is accused of spraying red graffiti on the left stone wall of the West Gate (Yeongchumun) of Gyeongbokgung Palace, a nationally designated cultural property, on December 17 of last year. Investigations revealed that Seol committed the act in imitation after learning from news articles that the palace wall had been damaged by someone else's graffiti the day before the crime.

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