South Korea to seek Interpol red notices over 'Xi Jinping' restaurant attack

Police in South Korea will apply for arrest warrants on Monday for four Chinese men suspected of breaking into a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, named after President Xi Jinping — and will seek Interpol red notices once the warrants are issued, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

The suspects, men in their 20s to 40s including one in his 40s identified only as “A”, allegedly broke in at about 2.40am on Thursday, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Masked and hatted, they spent about an hour smearing lacquer and paint through the interior; they are accused of spraying a substance believed to be pesticide over food ingredients and damaging computers, card terminals, chairs and fixtures, the Korea Herald reported.

They fled the same day — taxi to a Seoul motel, then flights from Incheon Airport to Yantai and Shanghai. Police said the men twice entered South Korea on tourist visas in the weeks before the attack and believe the restaurant was targeted over its name, Herald Business reported.

The owner, who has traded as “Xi Jinping” for eight years, told the JoongAng Ilbo he had filed a name-change report at the district office. “I was very afraid that even with the suspects out of the country, someone else could break in and commit a crime,” he said. He put property damage at about 15 million won ($11,000), plus lost business, and said someone had defaced the restaurant’s sign with black paint two months earlier, which he reported to police.

Sources

• Korea JoongAng Daily: Seongnam restaurant named after Xi Jinping to rebrand after alleged vandalism attack
• The Korea Herald: 4 suspects flee to China after vandalizing restaurant
• SBS News: All 4 Suspects in Paint Terror Attack on Restaurant Named After Xi Jinping Identified as Chinese Nationals
• Herald Business: Police seek Interpol notice for suspects in attack on restaurant named after Xi Jinping