A man in his 40s who spray-painted a stone tablet with the handwritten inscription of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, installed in the yard in front of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation (KICOX) Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters in Seongsan-gu, Changwon, Gyeongnam, right after the emergency martial law situation on Dec. 3, was referred to the prosecution.
According to police on the 5th, the Changwon Central Police Agency referred a man surnamed A to the prosecution on charges of property damage.
Mr. A is accused of having spray-painted the phrase "insurrection" in black on the stone tablet installed at the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation (KICOX) Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters on Dec. 10, about a week after former President Yoon declared the emergency martial law.
Mr. A, along with colleagues from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Gyeongnam Headquarters, noted at the time that it was a "ventilation of anger against the martial law," and the police, who received the report, have continued their investigation until recently.
Previously, the local labor community, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Gyeongnam Headquarters, strongly opposed when the police began investigating the case, asserting that "the criticism, ridicule, and protests of citizens against the act of insurrection are an exercise of freedom of expression and a manifestation of political resistance guaranteed by the Constitution."
The stone tablet has been covered with a black cloth since Dec. 11 of last year.
This stone tablet, owned by the city of Changwon, was erected in April of last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Changwon National Industrial Complex, engraved with the phrase, "Cradle of an industrial powerhouse, Changwon National Industrial Complex 2024.4.24. President Yoon Suk-yeol," in the handwriting of former President Yoon.
Including the stone tablet, the overall development of the stone tablet site and nearby sculptures cost about 700 million won.
The police investigated this case after former President Yoon was removed from office and referred it to the prosecution, but it was determined that the city of Changwon has no clear plans for the removal, preservation, or restoration of the stone tablet.
Earlier in 2019, a person in their 20s was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for being indicted on charges of splattering red paint on a stone tablet at Sejong City Hall, engraved with the handwritten inscription of former President Park Geun-hye.
The stone tablet with the handwritten inscription of former President Park, erected in July 2015 to commemorate the opening of the new Sejong City Hall, became a subject of debate over its removal and preservation the following year amid the emergence of the state affairs manipulation scandal, eventually concluding in favor of preservation, and it remains in front of the Sejong City Hall.