Graffitti attack

The late painter Jean-Michel Basquiat is famous for the highest money paid for his works in the world. Born in a poor immigrant family in New York, he had a rebellious nature while growing up. He ran away from home at age 15 and began spray-painting "graffiti" on backstreet walls, later turning to painting on canvas in his 20s. Basquiat captured attention from the mainstream culture sector through brush stroke art works on sensitive racial and violence issues.

He rose from a street child indulged in vandalism to a star artist of the 20st century. Though his life as artist lasted for no longer than 10 years, Basquiat elevated graffiti, which became a culture for teenagers living in slums in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, to modern art. With hip hop culture flourishing, graffiti was a way for them to express feelings for freedom and resistance. Recently, graffiti is used in company ads, fashion and design.

Recently, the Korean subway station authorities have been troubled with foreigners scribbling on facilities within subways. Early this month, two people left colorful spray scribbles within Daegu and Incheon subway stations, and they were found to be foreigners. The crime was committed by 20-something German and Greek and they were elaborate in planning the crime, according to the surveillance camera. They surveyed the site prior to the crime, broke the door leading to the ventilation window late at night, leaving scribbles and then leaving the country. They came to Korea just for show off and to leave trace. The graffiti within the Shinnonhyeon Station in Seoul in March is assumed to have been drawn by the same person from Germany. Police asked Interpol for joint investigation for their alleged public property damage.

Early this month, foreigners were arrested for scribbling on subway stations for as many as 20 times. An increasing number of foreigners are making scribble attacks on Korean subway stations. Subway stations are targeted because of easy access and lack of law for punishment. While this is unpleasant and frustrating, the bigger concern is safety. What if subways that are used by so many people had been attacked by terrorists?