Before and after photos showing damage to the Blue Gate Rose garden. [Blue Gate Rose SNS]
Before and after photos showing damage to the Blue Gate Rose garden. [Blue Gate Rose SNS]

Police have booked two people in their 60s on theft charges after they cut roses from the Blue Gate Rose garden, a popular photo spot in Suwon.

The Suwon Paldal Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said officers booked a man and a woman, both in their 60s and identified only as A, on theft charges and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

The pair are suspected of visiting the Blue Gate Rose garden in Haenggung-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, around midnight on June 24 and cutting more than 10 rose branches.

Shortly after the incident, the homeowner reviewed closed-circuit television footage and reported the case to police, saying it appeared to show "two people who looked like a young couple cutting roses after midnight." Police later identified the suspects as a man and a woman in their 60s through an on-site investigation and further CCTV analysis.

At the time, the roses had passed their peak bloom and some flowers had already fallen. The homeowner had also just finished pruning and tidying the plants.

After confirming the damage, the homeowner filed a formal complaint with police.

The Blue Gate Rose garden, where roses bloom in full along the fence of a private home, is one of Suwon's most popular photography destinations, drawing tourists and photography enthusiasts from across the country during rose season.

Following the incident, the homeowner posted on social media expressing regret. "So many roses were cut this time that I don't think it will be possible to restore them to how they were before," the homeowner wrote.

Police said they plan to investigate the full circumstances of the incident and assess the extent of the damage.


123@heraldcorp.com