Chinese Restaurant Named After Top Chinese Leader Vandalized with Lacquer; All Four Suspects Are Chinese Nationals

[Financial News]   Four suspects who broke into a Chinese restaurant in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, whose business name is the same as that of China's top leader, and sprayed lacquer and paint inside have all been identified as Chinese nationals.
The suspects reportedly left for China through Incheon International Airport on the day of the crime. Police plan to seek international legal assistance to track them down.
According to Bundang Police Station on the 27th, the identities of four Chinese national men in their 20s to 40s, including a Chinese man in his 40s identified as A, were established in connection with allegations including jointly damaging property.
The incident occurred at around 2:40 a.m. on the 24th, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. A and the others allegedly broke into a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, and sprayed lacquer and paint throughout the premises.
They are also accused of spraying an unidentified substance suspected to be pesticide on food ingredients.
A and the others concealed their faces with masks and hats and carried out the crime for about an hour before taking a taxi together. They then traveled through accommodations in Seoul to Incheon International Airport and left for China.
They reportedly departed for destinations including Yantai and Shanghai in China.
The police investigation began at around 8:30 a.m. that day after the restaurant owner filed a report. The owner reported, "Someone broke into the store and damaged fixtures and other items inside."
Police tracked the suspects' movements through closed-circuit television footage and other means and identified them that afternoon. However, A and the others had already left the country on a morning flight.
Police determined that A and the others had entered South Korea without visas on two occasions between one month and one week before the incident and stayed in the country.
Police believe they knew the restaurant would be closed during the Chuseok holiday and carried out the crime after preparing for it in advance.
Their exact motive has not been determined because A and the others left for China.
Police are investigating the possibility that they committed the crime out of displeasure with the restaurant's use of the same business name as China's top leader.

[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter