Cleaning up the graffiti at Gyeongbok Palace is turning out to be expensive. The expense of removing graffiti from Gyeongbok Palace's walls is estimated to exceed 4.5 million KRW per day (~3,462.18 USD). Initially slated for completion within a week, the restoration process is taking longer than expected due to the copycat graffiti incident and challenging weather conditions.

As of December 21, restoration efforts have reached their fourth day, involving specialists from the National Palace Museum and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Utilizing chemicals like paint thinner, lasers, and high-temperature steam, experts are committed to the cleaning process.

Three privately rented devices are in use to prevent the spray paint from permeating the stone, incurring a daily cost of approximately 4.5 million KRW. When factoring in expenses for chemicals and labor, the total daily restoration cost stands at around 5 million KRW (~3,846.86 USD). The Cultural Heritage Administration is exploring the possibility of seeking reimbursement from the perpetrators' parents. 

However, complications arise as the initial graffiti artist, unlike the second offender, is a teenager, sparking debates about whether parents should bear responsibility for the restoration expenses. Legal experts suggest that if it can be shown that the parents were negligent, there could be a valid case against them.

An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration remarked, "We are deliberating on the extent to which costs should be calculated. When factoring in expenses for chemicals, equipment rental, and skilled labor, the financial scale becomes considerable."

Calls for robust punishment resonate as a deterrent. Professor Seo Kyung Deok of Sungshin Women's University, actively involved in correcting historical distortions, conveyed his profound distress through social media, stating, "Gyeongbokgung Palace is a destination for international tourists, intensifying the distress." He underscored the collective awareness needed regarding the challenges of restoring a defaced cultural heritage to its original state and emphasized the necessity of stringent penalties as a deterrent.

Confessing to vandalizing the walls, the two suspects, A (age 17) and B (age 16), confessed that an unidentified person on social media had commissioned them 100,000 KRW (~76.75 USD) to graffiti a specific location. 

Although B did not directly participate in the vandalism, the police consider her an accomplice due to her involvement in planning the crime with A and being present at the scene.

Korean netizens commented, "That's relieving but I wonder how much the total cost would be," "The parents raised their kids wrong," "Geez for only 100,000 KRW," "They are doing such a disservice to their parents just for 100,000 KRW," "They ruined their parent's lives just for 100,000 KRW," "So pathetic," "They should've taught their kids not to vandalize," and "They can't be lenient with these things."