54 Trees Are Mysteriously Hollowed, South Korean Police Conduct Investigations

The mysterious hollowed out tree. (Source: Jeonju City via Korea Times)

JAKARTA - The South Korean police launched an investigation, after dozens of trees were mysteriously hollowed out in separate areas in recent months.

The investigation was carried out following a request from the Jeonju City Government, North Jeola Province, to explore the findings of the hole by drilling made into tree trunks.

According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency and the Jeonju Regional Government, Wednesday, June 16, trees in three places in the city have been damaged over the past three months.

"The incident occurred near an apartment complex in Pyeonghwa-dong, a residential area in Junghwasan-dong and a village in Jeonmi-dong," local police said, as reported by the Korea Times.

So far, the research team has found 54 hollowed-out trees, each with one to three holes at the bottom of the trunk. Allegedly, the culprit used an electric drill, because all the holes were the same size.

Police and the city government do not yet know whether the holes were made by individuals or groups. Meanwhile, the investigation has not continued because there are no surveillance cameras around the damaged tree and also no witnesses.

Even more surprising, about 41 of the 54 trees that were hollowed out showed signs of wilting, raising suspicions the culprit may have injected chemicals into the trees through the holes made.

As a precautionary and anticipatory measure, the city government takes care of the remaining trees, and conducts inspections to check for possible similar damage to other trees.

"Investigations are ongoing based on reports from residents who found damaged trees, but we haven't been able to find any clues," an official from the police agency said.

To note, South Korea has strict rules regarding the protection and preservation of plants and plants. Under applicable law, there are public tree locations and private land locations.

A person who intentionally damages trees in a city-administered area is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won (approximately US$26,850).

Meanwhile, if the damaged tree is on private property or land, the culprit can be sentenced to up to three years in prison, or a fine of 7 million won or about 6,180 US dollars for damaging property.