Drilled Holes and Injected Herbicide: CCTV Captures Shocking Culprit Behind Dying Tree

[Anchor]

A ginkgo tree that has stood in an alleyway in Buam-dong, Seoul, for a long time has been dying for the past two months. It was discovered that a large amount of a substance, suspected to be herbicide, had been injected into the tree. The act was committed by the art museum right next door.

Reporter Kim Gyu-ri has the story.

[Reporter]

In Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, a ginkgo tree that has watched over the neighborhood for over 100 years stands on a slope along the wall of an art museum.

However, unlike other trees, its tall branches are filled with yellowed leaves instead of green ones.

Local residents, who were surprised to see the tree—which was healthy just a few months ago—suddenly deteriorate, checked the alleyway CCTV footage.

On April 22, two men were seen using an electric drill to bore holes into the base of the tree and injecting a liquid suspected to be herbicide.

The men in question were employees of a landscaping company hired by the adjacent Whanki Museum.

[Hyun Kyung / Resident of Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul: The leaves were falling off as if it were autumn, so I went to check and discovered the scene where they were injecting toxic substances.]

The century-old tree, located right next to the museum dedicated to painter Kim Whanki—who used the pen name Suwha, meaning to talk with trees—is now on the verge of dying.

Diagnostic results requested by the Jongno-gu Office from the National Institute of Forest Science and by environmental groups from experts concluded that it is a typical case of herbicide damage, noting that nearly 90 percent of the leaves have been bleached or discolored, and it appears there was an intentional effort to kill the tree.

Environmental groups and residents have demanded that the museum take measures to restore the tree and have filed a complaint with the police.

[Cho Hae-min / Activist at Seoul Korean Federation for Environmental Movement: We urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the truth behind the artificial harm inflicted on the Buam-dong ginkgo tree and the process of decision-making...]

In an apology recently posted on its website, the Whanki Museum stated that it could not leave the situation unaddressed due to the increasing risk of the museum wall collapsing caused by the tree roots, and added that it is currently taking measures to restore the tree and improve the situation.

Reported by Lee Sang-hak | Video by Jung Sung-hun | Graphics by Kang Yoon-jung and Jeon Yu-geun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.