The exterior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is defaced with black lacquer and paint on Oct. 24. Police have identified and are tracking four Chinese nationals suspected of breaking into the restaurant and destroying fixtures. Yonhap News
Four suspects accused of breaking into a Chinese restaurant in Seongnam’s Bundang district, spraying paint and damaging fixtures, have all been identified as Chinese nationals. They are believed to have left for China on the day of the crime.
The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said on the 27th that it had identified four Chinese men in their 20s to 40s who face charges including joint destruction of property.
According to police, the four broke into the restaurant in Bundang at around 2:40 a.m. on the 24th, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, and sprayed spray paint throughout the interior. They are also accused of damaging fixtures and spraying a substance believed to be pesticide on food ingredients.
Concealing their faces with masks and hats, they continued for about an hour before taking a taxi to their lodging in Seoul. Police believe they then traveled to Incheon International Airport and departed that morning for Yantai and Shanghai in China.
After receiving a report from the restaurant owner, police analyzed closed-circuit television footage from inside the restaurant that day to trace the suspects’ movements. They identified the four that afternoon, but the suspects had already left for China.
Police found that the four had entered the country twice without visas between late August and the middle of this month, staying at a motel in Seoul. The restaurant was closed for three days, from the 24th to the 26th, for the Chuseok holiday. Police believe the suspects targeted the first day of the closure and carried out the attack as planned in advance.
The case has drawn particular attention because the restaurant’s name is the same as that of China’s president. The specific motive has yet to be determined. Police plan to pursue international judicial cooperation to locate the suspects who left for China.
Dining and Cooking