Robert Indiana’s iconic ‘LOVE’ sculpture in Seoul vandalized

American artist Robert Indiana’s iconic sculpture “LOVE” was recently found vandalized in central Seoul with “Zombra” graffitied with spray paint on the letter “V.” The sculpture, installed outside the headquarters of Daishin Securities in Jungu-gu, Seoul, is known as the one of a few such sculptures in South Korea.

The sculpture was found with the graffiti on Tuesday, according to the securities firm. “We are assuming the work was damaged on Monday. We reported the damage to the police and an investigation is underway to capture the suspect based on CCTV footage,” an official from the company told The Korea Herald on Wednesday.

The company will begin the procedure required to restore the work as early as this week, the official said.

The sculpture is owned by Daishin Securities, one of the leading securities firms in the country. It was installed in front of the firm's building after it moved its office to its current site in central Seoul in 2016, according to the company.

Born in 1928, Indiana is a prominent figure who led the pop art movement in the US. The sculpture's striking design -- which features a slanted “O” – was created in 1964 when the Museum of Modern Art New York commissioned a Christmas card from Indiana.

The pop art design was later turned into sculptures which became famous in cities around the world. The sculptures -- known to be created in more than 50 editions -- are on display in New York, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Lisbon, Hong Kong and Seoul.

The artist died on May 19, 2018 at the age of 89.