"Did They Spray Pesticide Wearing Hats and Masks?" All 4 Suspects in Bundang Chinese Restaurant Terror Case Are Chinese Nationals... Fled on Day of Incident

Motive for the Crime Remains Unclear

It has been revealed that all four suspects involved in a late-night terrorist attack on a Chinese restaurant, which used the name of China’s top leader as its business name, are Chinese nationals. Authorities believe they fled to China via an airport on the day of the incident.

The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 27th that it has identified the four suspects, including a Chinese man in his 40s, referred to as Mr. A, who are all Chinese nationals in their 20s to 40s. They are being investigated on charges including joint property damage.

Mr. A and the others are accused of breaking into a Chinese restaurant located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, at around 2:40 a.m. on the 24th, and spraying lacquer and paint inside the premises. They are also suspected of sprinkling an unidentified substance, believed to be pesticide, on food ingredients. With their faces covered by masks and hats, Mr. A and his accomplices allegedly committed the act for about an hour, after which they rode together in a taxi to their accommodation in Seoul, then proceeded to Incheon International Airport and fled to their home country. It is reported that they escaped to cities such as Yantai and Shanghai in China.

The police received a report from the victimized restaurant owner at around 8:30 a.m. on the day of the incident and immediately launched an investigation. Tracking the suspects’ movements using closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and other methods, police identified them later that afternoon; however, Mr. A and the others had already left the country in the morning. It was found that, between one month and one week before the incident, they had entered Korea twice on visa-free status and were living in the country. The police explained that the suspects seemingly prepared the crime in advance, taking advantage of the Chuseok holiday period when the restaurant would be closed.

Based on testimony from the restaurant owner and other sources, there is considerable weight to the possibility that the suspects targeted the Chinese restaurant because it used the same name as China’s top leader, suggesting resentment about the business name as a motive.

A police official stated, “We will continue to track the suspects through international judicial cooperation and other means.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.