A court has rejected an arrest warrant for a man in his 30s accused of spray-painting the front gate of a residence on instructions from a private revenge service.
Kang Young-hoon, a senior judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Northern District Court, rejected the arrest warrant for the suspect, identified only as A, on charges of property damage and trespassing during a pre-arrest detention hearing held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. "It is difficult to conclude that there is a risk of evidence tampering or flight," Judge Kang said in explaining the rejection.
A is accused of spraying red lacquer paint and soy sauce on the front gate of a residence in Gangbuk-gu at around 11:30 p.m. on the 22nd of this month. Police made an emergency arrest of A the day after the crime and applied for an arrest warrant on the afternoon of the 24th.
Investigators view the incident as related to so-called "private revenge service" crimes. Police are reportedly tracking the organization behind A.
Earlier, on the 15th of this month, President Lee Jae-myung posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Private revenge service is a serious crime for both the person asked and the person asking." He added, "Private disputes must be resolved in accordance with the legal order."
