Victim: "Tire Bank employee deliberately damaged wheel... recommended replacement"
"I also suffered the same damage," many citizens file complaints
Police raid Tire Bank Sangmu branch
Owner denies intentional damage to reporters
On the 27th, police at Tire Bank Sangmu Branch in Seo-gu, Gwangju, are holding seized items secured to investigate allegations of intentionally damaging a customer's wheel. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] As the police conducted a search and seizure at the Tire Bank Sangmu branch, which allegedly deliberately damaged customers' vehicle wheels and recommended replacements, the owner, Mr. A, suddenly stated, "I have never intentionally damaged the wheels."
This contrasts with Mr. A's earlier handwritten apology, in which he expressed, "I deeply apologize. I will live my life reflecting on this forever."
On the 27th, the Gwangju Western Police Station obtained a search warrant from the court for the Tire Bank Sangmu branch and carried out the search and seizure for about two hours in the afternoon. The police plan to verify whether the Sangmu branch is a directly managed store of Tire Bank headquarters and investigate further crimes by securing internal CCTV footage.
Tire Bank announced that it terminated its contract with the entrusted company after the controversy over intentional wheel damage arose. The Sangmu branch closed its store following the controversy.
On the morning of the same day, the police intended to conduct a forced search and seizure at the Sangmu branch, but since Mr. A expressed willingness to cooperate with store entry, the search was conducted with Mr. A accompanying the officers.
After completing the search and seizure, Mr. A came out of the store with the police and denied the allegations when asked by reporters, "Did you intentionally damage the wheels?" saying, "No. I never did that."
A handwritten apology letter posted by the owner of the Tire Bank Sangmu branch on the 23rd. Photo by Tire Bank.
On the 23rd, Mr. A had issued a handwritten apology stating, "I am truly ashamed and feel like dying as I leave after causing disappointment and irreparable damage to everyone due to my wrongful actions," and added, "I sincerely apologize again. I will live my life reflecting on this forever."
On the same day, some citizens who claimed to be victims themselves were watching the search and seizure scene in front of the Sangmu branch.
On the 21st, an online community related to automobiles posted a message titled "Reporting Tire Bank" along with a black box video, claiming to have suffered damages at a Tire Bank franchise. Photo by BobaeDream capture.
Earlier, on the 20th, Mr. A was booked by the police on charges of intentionally damaging customers' tires and recommending replacements. One victim received a recommendation to replace the wheels from the Tire Bank Sangmu branch, and after reviewing the vehicle's black box footage, captured Mr. A intentionally damaging the wheels.
This fact became widely known through online communities and media reports, sparking national outrage. Following the revelation of the incident, multiple complaints were filed by citizens claiming to have suffered similar damages, leading to an expanded police investigation.
The police are currently investigating Mr. A on charges of attempted fraud and property damage.
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