The Gyeongbokgung Palace, a nationwide treasure within the coronary heart of South Korea’s capital that attracts thousands and thousands of holiday makers every year, was vandalized with graffiti twice over the weekend.
Components of the 14th century palace had been spray painted in purple and blue on Saturday and Sunday nights, in line with the police. The police mentioned a minimum of two folks acted on Saturday, and a minimum of one individual did on Sunday. They’ve but to determine the suspects.
Whereas graffiti is extra widespread in alleyways and tunnels in South Korea, heritage websites are a uncommon goal in South Korea, and have particular protections underneath the regulation, with violators dealing with stiff jail sentences and fines.
The authorities had been first alerted to vandalism on the palace at about 2 a.m. on Saturday. The phrases “free movie” in Korean and several other web site addresses had been written with blue and purple spray paint.
Two areas had been focused: the doorway to Yeongchu Gate, the palace’s western gate, and the aspect gate of the Nationwide Palace Museum. The full harm unfold throughout 44 meters.
Authorities employees started cleansing off the graffiti the subsequent day. Studies of a second spray-painting got here in to police at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, this time in purple 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 Palace, situated within the coronary heart of downtown and Seoul’s previous capital district, was in-built 1395 as the principle 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.
The palace is likely one of the 5 grand palaces constructed through the Joseon Dynasty and boasts clay statues of folklore creatures, the king’s throne corridor, and expansive roofs comprised of fired clay tiles. It was utilized by Gucci this yr to host a vogue present.
Police mentioned they consider the suspects from every evening are completely different and that the second incident may need been a copycat.
At the very least 20 authorities employees are eradicating the graffiti, which officers say will take a few week. The broken areas are lined with a tarp and the encircling areas are closed off by fences.
The palace is protected underneath the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and anybody charged with vandalizing it might resist 5 years in jail and a fantastic of as much as $39,000.
