Workers from the Cultural Heritage Administration remove graffiti from the western wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in 2023. (Newsis)
Workers from the Cultural Heritage Administration remove graffiti from the western wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in 2023. (Newsis)

A 31-year-old man previously convicted of orchestrating graffiti at Gyeongbokgung, the iconic Joseon-era (1392-1910) royal palace in Seoul, has been sentenced to an additional year in prison for laundering criminal proceeds, according to local media outlets.

Previously, the man, identified by the surname Kang, was sentenced to seven years in prison in December for inciting two high school students he met via Telegram to deface the historic sites with graffiti promoting an illegal video-sharing website.

Last week, the Seoul Central District Court handed down an additional one-year sentence for violating the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Criminal Proceeds Concealment. Two accomplices were also given suspended prison sentences for participating in the laundering scheme.

“The purpose of the crime was to conceal Kang’s criminal profits, which amounted to approximately 2.5 billion ($1.8 million), making their criminal responsibility significant,” the judge said. “They also committed the crime during a repeat offense period.”

In December 2023, Kang instructed two teenagers to paint a 30-meter-long advertisement for his illegal site on the walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the National Palace Museum of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building. He paid them 100,000 won.

Kang claimed he had no assets, arguing that his illegal website had not generated significant profits. However, prosecutors conducted a forensic analysis of his smartphone and traced his cryptocurrency transactions.

The investigation found that between December 2023 and May 2024, Kang received 2.5 billion won from advertisers of illegal gambling websites, which he attempted to launder with two accomplices.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com