Suspects entered visa-free in late August, stayed together at Seoul motel

Struck on first day of Chuseok closure, fled to China same day

Three were visiting Korea for the first time; one had scouted the area days before

Owner says name-change demands began last year; plans to rename before reopening

The exterior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen covered in black lacquer and paint Thursday after four Chinese nationals broke in and vandalized the premises. Police have identified the suspects and are tracking them down. [Yonhap]
The exterior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen covered in black lacquer and paint Thursday after four Chinese nationals broke in and vandalized the premises. Police have identified the suspects and are tracking them down. [Yonhap]

Four Chinese men who vandalized a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, are believed to have entered South Korea in stages about a month before the attack and stayed together at the same motel, police said Sunday. Investigators are examining whether the crime was premeditated after it emerged the men chose the first day of the restaurant's Chuseok holiday closure to strike — then immediately fled to China.

The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said officers have identified all four suspects — Chinese nationals in their 20s to 40s — on charges including joint property destruction.

The men are accused of entering the restaurant at around 2:40 a.m. Thursday and spending roughly an hour spraying lacquer and paint throughout the interior. Investigators also found that an unidentified substance, believed to be pesticide, had been sprinkled on food ingredients inside.

Police said the suspects entered South Korea visa-free in two groups between late August and mid-September and stayed at the same motel in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Investigators believe the men had also determined in advance that the restaurant would be closed for three days from Thursday through Saturday.

The suspects had booked the motel through Saturday but fled the country on the day of the attack. After returning to the motel together by taxi following the vandalism, they made their way to Incheon International Airport — three departed in the morning and one in the afternoon, flying to destinations including Yantai and Shanghai in China.

None of the four had significant travel history to South Korea. Three were visiting the country for the first time, while one had a single recorded trip to Jeju Island this year. One of the men had also visited Sohyeon-dong, where the restaurant is located, a few days before the attack. Police said they have not confirmed whether that visit was a reconnaissance trip.

On the day the incident was reported, police analyzed CCTV footage and began tracking the suspects, but by the time they were identified, all four had already left the country.

"We confirmed there were four suspects fleeing by taxi after the attack and quickly identified them, but by then they had already boarded their flights," a police official said. "We plan to continue tracking the suspects through international judicial cooperation and other means."

Police are also looking into the possibility that the men targeted the restaurant over its name. No specific motive has been confirmed so far. The restaurant shares its name with the Chinese president.

The owner said complaints demanding a name change had poured in ahead of last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju. The calls came while Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea was expected, with callers arguing the restaurant's name was inappropriate.

"Starting around July or August last year, ahead of APEC, complaints suddenly started coming in one after another," the owner said. "I received 30 to 40 calls from different people, and some even offered large sums of money to change the name — but no one actually paid."

This was not the first time the restaurant had been targeted. In the early hours of July 21, two men believed to be Chinese nationals painted the exterior signboard black and fled. Police said they have not confirmed whether that incident, or the earlier phone complaints, is connected to Thursday's attack by the four suspects.

The owner has decided to change the restaurant's name. "I plan to stay closed until the cleanup is done, and then reopen under a new name," the owner said.

Police plan to work with Chinese authorities through international judicial cooperation to locate the suspects, while also investigating whether anyone directed or assisted in the attack and who the men had contact with during their stay in South Korea.


kwater@heraldcorp.com