Woman arrested for defacing over 10 Seoul sites with graffiti insulting BoA

K-pop singer BoA / Captured from her social media

A woman in her 30s has been detained by police for defacing public property across Seoul with graffiti insulting K-pop singer BoA.

The Seoul Gangnam Police Station said on Friday that it brought the suspect in for questioning around 10:30 p.m. the previous day on charges of property damage and defamation.

According to police, the woman is accused of leaving offensive messages alongside BoA’s name at more than 10 locations, including public transportation stops, media poles and utility boxes in the districts of Gangnam, Gwangjin and Gangdong.

The case gained public attention after multiple eyewitness reports and photos of the graffiti surfaced on online communities starting June 10.

SM Entertainment, BoA’s agency, filed a formal complaint with police, citing property damage and defamation.

“We plan to question the suspect about the motive and circumstances of the offense,” a police official said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.