South Korean restaurant named ‘Xi Jinping’ vandalized by four Chinese men

Four Chinese men, aged between their 20s and 40s, vandalized a Chinese restaurant named ‘Xi Jinping’ in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, in the early hours of September 24. The suspects, wearing masks and hats, spent approximately one hour spraying black paint on the signage, damaging furniture, and reportedly spraying a substance suspected to be pesticide onto food ingredients.

Following the attack, the suspects traveled to Seoul and then to Incheon International Airport, where they fled to mainland China. Authorities believe the suspects may have entered South Korea on tourist visas and conducted reconnaissance prior to the incident. South Korean police are seeking international judicial cooperation to track and apprehend the individuals, who are believed to have fled to Yantai and Shanghai.

The restaurant owner reported receiving frequent harassing phone calls and visits requesting a name change in recent months. Journalist Akio Yabata noted that the organized nature of the ‘hit-and-run’ style attack—involving premeditated entry, execution, and rapid departure—mirrors similar patterns of cross-border intimidation.