A woman in her 60s who cut flowers and branches without permission at a famous rose photo spot in Suwon, Gyeonggi, told police she "planned to propagate by cuttings." She said she intended to do cuttings because it would be a waste to let the roses wither.
According to police and Yonhap News on the 3rd, the Suwon Paldal Police Station summoned a woman in her 60s, identified as A, on the 29th on suspicion of theft and questioned her as a suspect.
A admitted to the charge during questioning and said she "planned to propagate by cuttings." She meant she cut the branches to keep the roses from withering and intended to plant them in soil to grow them.
A is suspected of cutting roses and branches planted along the wall of a dwelling in Haenggung-dong, Paldal District, Suwon, at about 12 a.m. on the 24th.
The spot is popular on social media (SNS) as the "blue gate roses." The view of the wall and roses together has made it a well-known photo spot favored by residents.
Most of the roses had already withered at the time, but A, along with another man in his 60s, is believed to have snapped around 10 items, including several remaining blooms and branches.
The rose owner checked the footage on closed-circuit (CC)TV the day of the incident, confirmed the scene, and reported it to police.
The owner, who had tended the roses here for a long time, posted photos of the damage on SNS the same day, saying, "So many roses were cut this time that it seems unlikely we can restore it to its previous state."
Afterward, A commented on the owner's SNS post, saying, "The flowers had all fallen and it seemed pruning was needed, so I cut some branches at night and did cuttings in front of our house," and added, "It felt like too much of a waste for the roses to disappear."
She continued, "The detectives collected the rose cuttings," and said, "I am sorry for causing great concern."
Police also plan to question the man who was at the scene with A to determine the exact course of events and the extent of the damage.