South Korean police have identified four Chinese men as suspects in the vandalism of a restaurant in Seongnam named “Xi Jinping”
All four suspects left South Korea for China on the day of the attack, after returning briefly to their accommodation in Seoul and travelling to Incheon International Airport
Police are seeking arrest warrants and could request Interpol Red Notices, although securing the suspects’ return may be difficult
Xi Jinping-Named Restaurant Attacked By Chinese Nationals: What We Know
South Korean police have identified four Chinese nationals suspected of vandalising a restaurant in Seongnam named after Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the suspects left for China before they could be arrested.
Summary
South Korean police have identified four Chinese nationals accused of vandalising a Chinese restaurant in Seongnam whose name is the same as that of President Xi Jinping, with investigators now seeking international cooperation after all four suspects fled to China.
The four men, aged in their 20s to 40s, allegedly broke into the restaurant in Bundang-gu, Gyeonggi Province, at about 2:40 am on Thursday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Police said they sprayed lacquer and paint inside the restaurant and put a substance believed to be pesticide on food ingredients.
The suspects had covered their faces with masks and hats during the incident. Police said they travelled to a lodging in Seoul after the attack and then went to Incheon International Airport, leaving for China the same day.
What Police Found
Police launched the investigation after the restaurant owner reported the break-in at around 8:30 am on Thursday.
Investigators used CCTV footage to trace the suspects and identified all four later that day, but the men had already left South Korea, according to state news agency. Police said they were planning to seek arrest warrants and pursue international judicial cooperation with Chinese authorities.
South Korean police planned to apply for warrants on Monday. If warrants are issued, authorities could ask Interpol to issue Red Notices to help locate and provisionally arrest the suspects pending possible extradition or similar legal proceedings.
Why Target This Restaurant?
Police have not established a definitive motive.
South Korean state news agency reported that investigators were examining the possibility that the men objected to the restaurant having the same name as China's top leader. The owner told the agency that the restaurant had operated under the same name for eight years but had received complaints and visits objecting to the name in recent months.
The owner also said that someone had sprayed black paint on the restaurant's sign about two months ago and that the incident had been reported to police.
Advertisement
There is therefore evidence of previous objections to the restaurant's name, but authorities have not publicly established that this was the motive behind Thursday's attack.
What Happens Next?
The four suspects entered South Korea twice on tourist visas in the month before the incident, according to police. Investigators believe they knew the restaurant would be closed during the Chuseok holiday and prepared the attack in advance.
South Korean police said they would continue tracing the suspects through international judicial cooperation. However, bringing them back could be difficult because China has not complied with a South Korean extradition request since the two countries signed their extradition treaty.
For now, the investigation remains focused on property damage and the suspected contamination of food ingredients, while the precise motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
Published At: