The Gyeongbokgung palace, a nationwide treasure within the coronary heart of South Korea’s capital that attracts tens of millions of tourists annually, was vandalized with graffiti twice over the weekend.
Components of the 14th century palace had been spray painted in pink and blue on Saturday and Sunday nights, in response to the police. The police stated not less than two folks acted on Saturday, and not less than one individual did on Sunday. They’ve but to determine the suspects from Saturday. One individual handed themselves in to police on Monday morning. Police haven’t decided a motive.
Whereas graffiti is extra widespread in alleyways and tunnels in South Korea, heritage websites are a uncommon goal within the nation, and have particular protections below the regulation, with violators dealing with stiff jail sentences and fines.
The palace is likely one of the 5 grand ones constructed in the course of the Joseon Dynasty and boasts clay folklore statues, the king’s throne corridor, and expansive roofs produced from fired clay tiles in pink, blue and inexperienced. It’s nestled on the foot of a mountain, Bugaksan, among the many fashionable workplace buildings of central Seoul. It was utilized by Gucci this yr to host a trend present. It doesn’t host authorities places of work.
The authorities had been first alerted to vandalism on the palace at about 2 a.m. on Saturday. The phrases “free film” in Korean and several other web site addresses had been written with blue and pink spray paint.
Two areas had been focused: the doorway to Yeongchu Gate, the palace’s western gate, and the facet gate of the Nationwide Palace Museum. The overall harm unfold throughout 44 meters.
Authorities staff started cleansing off the graffiti the following day. Experiences of a second spray-painting got here in to police at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, this time in pink and spanning three meters of the western gate. The phrases included the identify of an artist and album in English. The police declined to say what these had been.
Gyeongbokgung, situated within the coronary heart of downtown and Seoul’s outdated capital district, was in-built 1395 as the primary palace of the Joseon Dynasty, the final dynastic period of Korea earlier than the Korean empire and the primary Japanese annexation. A big a part of the palace is being restored.
Police stated they consider the suspects from every night time are totally different and that the second incident might need been a copycat.
A minimum of 20 authorities staff are eradicating the graffiti, which officers say will take a few week. The broken areas are coated with a tarp and the encompassing areas are closed off by fences.
The palace is protected below the Cultural Heritage Safety Act and anybody charged with vandalizing it may resist 5 years in jail and a effective of as much as $39,000.
