"After 8 Years, Restaurant Named After Xi Jinping Reopens 5 Days After Attack by Chinese Group"

Replaced Damaged Fixtures and Resumed Business After Five Days
Complaints Over Restaurant Name Increased Ahead of Last Year’s APEC Summit
Business Name Changed Due to Concerns Over Further Damage and Social Controversy

Concerned about further damage after suffering a so-called "lacquer attack" by a group of Chinese nationals during the Chuseok holiday, a Chinese restaurant in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province has abandoned its previous name that evoked the top Chinese leader and resumed business just five days later. On September 29, Yonhap News Agency reported that the restaurant owner changed the business name to a general name, “○Xiang,” which does not remind people of any specific individual, and reopened for business on this day.

Exterior view of the Chinese restaurant vandalized with paint. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The new signboard is scheduled to be installed next week. The owner stated, "We were concerned about the possibility of additional damage, and after the incident, we determined that continuing to use the previous name could spark social controversy, so we decided to change it." However, it has been reported that no requests have been made to police for personal protection or increased patrols near the restaurant. In order to resume business, the owner purchased new chairs and fixtures that were damaged during the crime. The POS (point-of-sale) device, which was rented, was paid for and then rented again. Approximately 1 million won worth of food ingredients, which may have been exposed to pesticides or insecticides, will all be discarded.

Previously, four Chinese men in their 20s to 40s allegedly broke into the restaurant at around 2:40 a.m. on September 24, the first day of the Chuseok holiday, and spent about one hour spraying lacquer and paint on the cashier counter, fixtures, and various places throughout the premises. Police also found indications that the men sprayed an unidentified substance, suspected to be pesticide, onto food ingredients. Containers for pesticides and insecticides were found at the scene, and police have requested the National Forensic Service to analyze the ingredients for precise identification.

The suspects, who covered their faces with masks and hats, took a taxi together to their accommodation in Seongdong-gu, Seoul after committing the crime. According to the investigation, three left for China through Incheon International Airport on the same morning, while the remaining one departed later that afternoon. Notably, the police discovered that the suspects entered South Korea sequentially and stayed at the same motel beginning about a month before the incident, raising suspicions that the crime may have been premeditated.

The restaurant had used a name identical to that of Chinese President Xi Jinping for approximately eight years. The owner previously explained, "Since Xi Jinping is the top leader of China, we named our restaurant with the ambition of becoming the best in the Chinese cuisine field." However, the owner claimed that after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju last year, there were continued complaints about the restaurant name. From around July to August last year, the restaurant reportedly received about 30 to 40 calls from various individuals requesting a name change, and some even offered monetary compensation if the name was changed.

CCTV footage inside the crime scene. Photo by Yonhap News

This is not the first incident involving physical vandalism. In the early hours of July 21 this year, two men believed to be Chinese were seen spraying black paint on the restaurant's exterior sign and fleeing the scene. At that time, police tracked the suspects using CCTV footage but were unable to apprehend them. The police are also investigating whether there is any connection between July’s sign vandalism and this latest crime. However, the specific motive for this incident and whether dissatisfaction with the previous name directly led to the crime has yet to be confirmed.

The Bundang Police Station has identified the four Chinese male suspects on charges including joint property damage, has applied for arrest warrants, and has begun procedures for international judicial cooperation. If the warrants are issued, further measures such as requesting Interpol red notices are possible.

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