A restaurant in Seongnam, south of Seoul, named after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was vandalized early on September 24 by a group of four Chinese nationals who immediately fled the country, according to South Korean police.
Surveillance footage captured four masked men storming the establishment in the early hours, destroying furniture and spraying lacquer throughout the premises. The owner, who has operated the restaurant for eight years, told local media he chose the name to signify his ambition to run the finest Chinese restaurant in South Korea, insisting there was no political motivation behind the decision.
However, the venue has faced escalating pressure over the past year to change its name, The Chosun Daily reported. The owner stated that demands intensified in August of last year amid reports that Xi would attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. During that period, he received dozens of phone calls demanding a name change, with some callers identifying themselves as business operators in China who offered substantial sums of money to comply.
“They were persistent,” the owner told The Chosun Daily, recounting the offers of large financial incentives to rebrand the eatery.
In April, a formal complaint was filed with South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property regarding a menu item named “Xi Jinping Special Rice.” The ministry subsequently closed the case after determining no violation had occurred.
The owner described last week’s incident as the most severe attack to date, estimating property damage at approximately 15 million won (roughly $11,100). The restaurant closed for five days following the vandalism and reopened on Tuesday, though the owner indicated the business is now considering a name change.
On Tuesday, police confirmed the four suspects are Chinese men aged between 20 and 40. Investigators believe the group fled to Shanghai and Yantai in China’s Shandong province immediately following the attack.
Authorities announced plans to request Interpol Red Notices for the suspects. These notices serve as international requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally detain individuals pending extradition; they are not international arrest warrants.
The restaurant serves a variety of Chinese dishes alongside some South Korean offerings and currently holds an average rating of four out of five stars on Google reviews.
