Wild boar killed after rampage at Changdeok Palace

A wild boar went on a rampage at tourist destination Changdeok Palace, a Unesco World Heritage site, and was later killed on Tuesday.

A view of Changdeok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul [JOONGANG PHOTO]

A wild boar went on a rampage at tourist destination Changdeok Palace, a Unesco World Heritage site, and was later killed on Tuesday.

The Changdeok Palace Management Office killed a wild boar around Seonwonjeon Hall in the rear garden of the palace grounds at around 1 p.m. Tuesday, working together with a wild boar capture team, according to the National Heritage Service.

The wild boar was estimated to be about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) long and weighed 90 kilograms (198 pounds).

The animal was first discovered through CCTV footage on Sunday by the Changdeok Palace Management Office, and the case was reported to emergency authorities who conducted a search. Jongno District officials and hunters tracked the wild boar’s movements, but were initially unable to find the animal.

A backyard tour of the palace scheduled from 10 a.m. that day was halted, and search operations continued on Monday, a regular day off for the palace.

The management office and capture team members ran another operation at 11 a.m. Tuesday using hunting dogs, finding and killing the wild boar about two hours later.

The palace's backyard tours will resume after conducting safety procedures, according to the Changdeok Palace Management Office.

“We confirmed that there was only one wild boar on the CCTV,” an official from the management office said. “We will resume the backyard tours after confirming that there are no safety issues for visitors.”

There have been several instances of wild boars appearing at Changdeok Palace in the past. In 2009, 2012 and 2013, visits to the palace were temporarily suspended due to the appearance of wild boars, and in 2002, the popular Changdeok Moonlight Tour annual event was canceled due to a boar's appearance.

BY KIM JI-HYE,LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]