Four Chinese nationals entered South Korea visa-free in late August and launched a vandalism attack on a restaurant named after China’s leader during the Chuseok holiday before fleeing to China, police in Gyeonggi Province confirmed.
Vandalism Strike During Chuseok Holiday
The attack took place at around 2:40 a.m. on September 24 at a restaurant located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, according to investigations by the Bundang Police Station. Four men in their 20s to 40s wearing masks and hats broke into the establishment and spent roughly an hour spraying lacquer and paint throughout the interior. The intruders also slashed chairs with a weapon and left refrigerator doors open after sprinkling an unidentified substance, believed to be pesticide, on food ingredients inside.
Investigators discovered that the suspects had timed their assault. They selected the first day of the restaurant’s three-day holiday closure for the Chuseok festival. Police revealed that the four men entered South Korea in stages between late August and mid-September, staying together at a motel in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, before carrying out the raid.
Flight to China and International Police Coordination
Following the vandalism, the suspects returned to their Seoul motel by taxi and immediately traveled to Incheon International Airport. Three of the men departed in the morning and the fourth left in the afternoon, boarding flights bound for Yantai and Shanghai. By the time the business owner reported the break-in at around 8:30 a.m., all four suspects had already cleared immigration and left the country.
During a regular press briefing at the Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, an official from the National Office of Investigation announced that police would apply for arrest warrants for the four suspects. Because the men have returned to their home country, Korean authorities plan to coordinate closely with Chinese counterparts through the International Cooperation Bureau. If the arrest warrants are officially issued, investigators will consider requesting an Interpol red notice.
Escalating Tensions Over the Restaurant’s Name
Police are investigating whether the attack was motivated by dissatisfaction with the business’s title. The restaurant shares its name with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The owner explained that the establishment has operated under that name for eight years, chosen in the hope of achieving excellence in Chinese cuisine, but friction began mounting ahead of major diplomatic events.
According to the owner, hostile phone calls demanding a name change surged between July and August of last year, coinciding with the approach of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju and anticipated visits by Chinese officials. Callers argued that using the leader’s name was inappropriate.
The location had faced prior hostility. In the early hours of July 21, two individuals painted the exterior signboard black before fleeing. Police are examining whether that earlier incident or the telephone threats are directly tied to the recent four-man raid. Following the extensive property damage, the owner intends to complete cleanup efforts and reopen the business under a completely new moniker.
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