Arrest warrants to be sought Monday

Interpol notice to follow warrant issuance

Suspects entered Korea a month before attack

Chinese Coupang Inc data-leak suspect also under investigation

The exterior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen vandalized with black lacquer and paint on Thursday. Police have identified four Chinese nationals suspected of breaking into the restaurant and damaging its fixtures and are tracking their whereabouts. [Yonhap]
The exterior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen vandalized with black lacquer and paint on Thursday. Police have identified four Chinese nationals suspected of breaking into the restaurant and damaging its fixtures and are tracking their whereabouts. [Yonhap]

Police plan to seek arrest warrants for Chinese nationals who attacked a Chinese restaurant operating under a name referencing Chinese President Xi Jinping, and intend to request Interpol notices for the suspects.

A Korean National Police Agency official said at a regular briefing held Monday at the agency's headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, that police would apply for arrest warrants for the suspects that day. "Once the warrants are issued, we plan to request that China issue notices through Interpol," the official said. "Since the suspects have left for China, we plan to consult with the Chinese side going forward."

The suspects broke into a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 2:40 a.m. Thursday, smearing lacquer and paint throughout the interior. They also sprayed an unidentified substance believed to be pesticide on food ingredients stored at the restaurant.

The suspects concealed their faces with masks and hats during the attack, spending about an hour ransacking the restaurant's interior.

The suspects, including a man in his 40s identified as "A," took a taxi after the attack to a motel in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, before fleeing the country — three through Incheon Airport in the morning and one in the afternoon. They are believed to have fled to Yantai and Shanghai, China.

The interior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen vandalized with black lacquer and paint on Thursday. Police have identified four Chinese nationals suspected of breaking into the restaurant and damaging its fixtures and are tracking their whereabouts. [Yonhap]
The interior of a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is seen vandalized with black lacquer and paint on Thursday. Police have identified four Chinese nationals suspected of breaking into the restaurant and damaging its fixtures and are tracking their whereabouts. [Yonhap]

The Bundang Police Station identified four Chinese male suspects in their 20s to 40s — including a man in his 40s identified as "A" — on Sunday on charges including joint property destruction.

Police launched the investigation after receiving a report from the restaurant owner at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday that someone had broken in and damaged the interior fixtures.

A police official said investigators confirmed that the suspects had entered South Korea twice on tourist visas (C-3-2) — once about a month before the incident and again about a week before it.

Meanwhile, police have been working with Chinese authorities to track Chinese nationals who have committed crimes targeting South Korea, but progress has been slow. An investigation into a Chinese employee suspected of leaking personal data from Coupang Inc in November last year remains stalled.

A police official said investigators were conducting a joint investigation with Chinese authorities on the identified suspects, but declined to say when results would be announced. "That is difficult to say — we are pursuing cooperation on multiple fronts," the official said.


20ki@heraldcorp.com