The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) on Thursday said it will file a lawsuit seeking compensation for the vandalism of the outer wall of a historic palace in central Seoul as the wall was unveiled after emergency restoration work. The parts of Gyeongbok Palace were spray painted in red and blue graffiti on Dec. 16 and 17 in rare acts of vandalism targeting cultural heritage sites in the country. The royal palace, home to kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), is now a major tourist destination that draws millions of visitors each year. Following 19 days of meticulous cleaning, the CHA removed the screen fences covering the vandalized areas. "We will seek compensation for the damage caused by the teenager (arrested by the police), the second perpetrator and their accomplices who have yet to be caught," Goh Jeong-ju, in charge of managing the palace, said during a press briefing in Seoul. The total restoration cost, including expert labor, is estimated to reach 100 million won (US$76,335), he said . Police have been investigating two people in their teens and 20s over the two instances of graffiti. The 17-year-old, only identified by his surname Im, is accused of spray painting the phrase "free movie" in Korean and a web address to an apparent illegal streaming website on the walls. Upon discovering that the teenager had received payment for the crime, police were seeking to apprehend the mastermind behind the operation. Police recently sent a copycat graffiti case allegedly committed by a suspect in his 20s identified by his surname Seol to the prosecution. He is accused of spray painting the name of a singer and their album on the same walls just one day after the first set of graffiti was discovered. On Thursday, the CHA said the length of the wall damaged from the two graffiti attacks was 36.2 meters, which breaks into 12.1 meters on the left and right sides of Yeongchu Gate and 24.1 meters in the area around the side gate of the National Palace Museum. A team of around 20 experts from the Nat ional Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and the museum had worked to restore the damage, using specialized equipment and chemicals, including a steam cleaner and laser technology. With 80 percent of the restoration work complete, the CHA now plans to undertake additional measures to further preserve the wall after a thorough inspection of its surface. To prevent any recurrence of similar crimes, the CHA also announced a set of measures to beef up security at major cultural heritage sites. For Gyeongbok Palace, the authorities will increase nighttime patrols and the number of closed-circuit television cameras surveying areas surrounding the palace's outer wall from the current 14 to 34. The authorities will install a total of 110 more surveillance cameras at four major palaces -- Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu -- Jongmyo Shrine, where Joseon-era royal ancestral tablets are enshrined, and Sajik Altar, a Joseon-era alter used to pray to the gods for a good harvest, and royal tombs. The g overnment is also considering introducing a reward program for those who report vandalism on cultural heritage. "We're sorry for causing concern over the artificial damage to Gyeongbok Palace, a precious cultural heritage," CHA chief Choi Eung-chon said during the briefing, bowing his head in apology. "Making it clear that even a small scribbling can have a serious influence on a cultural heritage, we will redouble our efforts to raise public awareness and prevent similar incidents from occurring again." Source: Yonhap News Agency