'Who drilled the holes?' Police investigating mysterious holes in trees in Jeonju

A hole drilled into a tree on a street in Jeonmi-dong, Jeonju, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Jeonju City

By Bahk Eun-ji

Jeonju City, North Jeolla Province, said it has recently asked police to investigate a series of cases where holes were drilled into trees.

According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency and Jeonju local government, Wednesday, trees at three places in the city have been damaged over the past three months by someone drilling holes into them.

The incidents took place near an apartment complex in Pyeonghwa-dong, a residential area in Junghwasan-dong, and a village in Jeonmi-dong, police said.

So far 54 trees have been found to have the holes in them, with each having one to three in the lower part of their trunks, all of a similar size and apparently made with an electric drill.

Police and the city government have no idea whether the holes were made by an individual or a group and the investigation has not progressed as there are no surveillance cameras in the vicinity of any of the damaged trees nor were any witnesses.

Among the trees, 41 showed signs of withering, raising suspicions that the culprit may have injected chemicals into the trees via the holes. The city government is treating the remaining trees and is also conducting inspections to determine if there are more with similar damage.

“Investigations are ongoing based on reports from residents who found damaged trees, but we have not been able to find any clue yet,” an official from the police agency said.

A person who intentionally damages trees in city-managed areas is subject to up to three years in prison or a 30 million won ($26,850) fine, according to the relevant law. If the trees are on private land, the culprit is subject to up to three years in prison or a 7 million won fine for damaging property.