Police arrest Russian graffiti 'artists'

Daegu police have arrested two Russians for allegedly vandalizing public property and stealing clothes. In this photo taken at a Daegu subway depot, “ONAS” is painted on a subway car. / Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency

By Lee Jin-a

Police have arrested two Russians for allegedly vandalizing subway cars in Daegu and stealing clothes from department stores in Seoul and Busan.

Daegu Dongbu Police Station said on Monday that the two men, 22 and 20, allegedly painted the word “ONAS” -- meaning “we” in Russian -- on two subway cars at a depot in the city’s Dong-gu district around 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 16.

A Daegu department store employee reported the men to police.

After analyzing CCTV footage, police discovered that the graffiti suspects were wanted by Busan Jungbu Police Station on a charge of stealing clothes worth 7.5 million won ($6,620) from department stores in Seoul and Busan on Oct. 11 and 12, respectively.

According to Daegu police, the Russians stole the clothes and vandalized the subway cars “for fun.”

In Korea, graffiti is considered property damage and those who damage public property can be sentenced to up to three years’ jail or fined up to 7 million won.