Restaurant named after Xi Jinping attacked by Chinese nationals in South Korea

**Restaurant named after Xi Jinping attacked by Chinese nationals in South Korea**

A restaurant in South Korea named after Chinese leader Xi Jinping was vandalised by a group of Chinese nationals who then fled the country immediately after the attack, police said.

Security footage from the restaurant in Seongnam, a city south of Seoul, shows four masked men entering the premises in the early hours of 24 September, where they smashed furniture and sprayed lacquer.

The restaurant’s owner told local media that he chose the name Xi Jinping because he “wanted it to be the best Chinese restaurant [in South Korea].” He added, “There was no political intent”.

The restaurant has been operating for eight years, but only started receiving requests to change its name over the past year, The Chosun Daily reported.

The owner said that in August last year, when it was reported that Xi would attend the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit in South Korea, he received dozens of phone calls about those demands. He said some people even offered money.

“People claiming to run businesses in China proposed large sums if we changed the name,” he told The Chosun Daily. “They were persistent.”

In April this year, someone lodged a complaint with South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property over a menu item called Xi Jinping Special Rice, but the ministry later closed the case after finding no problems.

The owner said last week’s attack was the biggest he has faced in the past year, telling local media that the damage came to about 15 million won ($11,100; £8,400).

The Xi Jinping restaurant closed for five days after the attack and reopened on Tuesday. The owner says his team is now considering a new name for the restaurant.

Police said on Tuesday that the four suspects were Chinese men aged between 20 and 40. They are believed to have fled to Shanghai and Yantai, a city in China’s Shandong province, after the attack.

Police say they plan to seek red notices from Interpol for the four men. These are not arrest warrants, but requests for police worldwide to detain someone pending extradition.

The Xi Jinping restaurant serves a broad range of Chinese dishes, though its menu also includes some South Korean items, according to screenshots shared online. Google reviewers have given it an average rating of four out of five stars.