“Already the third time”... Statue of player Kim Seong-han snapped clean off above the knees

[Financial News] A statue of former Haitai Tigers player Kim Seong-han, erected on a sidewalk on Yongbong Fashion Street in Buk-gu, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, has been damaged again, prompting police to launch an investigation.
According to Yonhap News and the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station, among others, on the 11th, the statue of former professional baseball player Kim Seong-han of the Haitai Tigers, installed on a sidewalk near Yongbong Fashion Street in Buk-gu, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, was damaged at around 3:40 a.m. the previous day.
The statue was installed in 2020, when Buk-gu launched its Fashion Street project.
The statue was snapped off completely above the knees and was temporarily removed by police who responded to a witness’s report.
After reviewing nearby CCTV footage, the Yongbong Fashion Street Merchants’ Association found that a man was captured getting out of the passenger seat of a car and approaching the statue on the day of the incident. However, the act of damaging the statue was reportedly not captured.
The man reportedly contacted the Buk-gu District Office’s duty office on his own initiative to report, in effect, that he had damaged the statue while drunk.
Police are investigating the man’s identity and the exact circumstances of the incident.
This is not the first time the statue has been damaged.
The baseball bat portion was also damaged by intoxicated people, among others, in May 2023 and October 2024, respectively, and was later repaired on both occasions.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter