On December 20, the Seoul Jongno Police Station reported that two teenage suspects, Lim (Male, age 17) and Kim (Female, age 16), accused of spray-painting the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace and fleeing, are under investigation.

During their interrogation on the same day, Lim and Kim, who are facing charges under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, disclosed that an unidentified person on social media had commissioned them 100,000 KRW (~76.75 USD) to graffiti a specific location.

The two teenagers confessed to the crime and stated an unidentified person made two payments of 50,000 KRW each, all of which reportedly went to Lim.

According to the police, the suspects purchased the spray paint used in the crime. 

The incident occurred around 1:42 AM on December 16 near Gyeongbokgung Palace's Yeongchumun Gate, the side gate of the National Palace Museum of Korea, and another location. There, they defaced cultural heritage by spray-painting phrases like "Free Movie" and an illegal video-sharing site address.

Previously, the police analyzed CCTV footage and other evidence to trace the suspects' escape routes and locate them. Lim was apprehended around 7:08 PM on December 19, and Kim was detained around 7:25 PM.

A police official stated they are considering applying for a detention warrant, considering factors such as the suspects' age, statements, and concerns about evidence destruction through escape.

In a related incident, around 10:20 PM on December 17, a man in his 20s (referred to as 'A') confessed to spray-painting specific singer and album names on the left wall of Yeongchumun Gate at Gyeongbokgung Palace. When questioned by the police on the 18th, 'A' claimed, "It was not for promotional purposes but I did it out of a fan's sentiment, I found graffiti on cultural heritage site to be impressive."

On December 20, 'A' posted on his blog, expressing a desire to play a "mischievous prank" inspired by Mischief, a U.S. artist group formed in 2019. He apologized, asserting that he engaged in art sporadically and does not typically graffiti or deface walls. Mentioning the Sungnyemun Gate fire incident, he emphasized not being perceived as a terrible person and expressed confidence that such incidents would not happen again.

Here is a video of a worker cleaning up some of the graffiti: