Crime Threats Escalate with Stun Guns and Bats... Anxious Convenience Stores

Convenience Store Crimes Steadily Increasing... Theft Most Common

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] Convenience store owners are increasingly equipping their counters with self-defense tools such as electric shock devices and wooden swords. This comes as crimes targeting convenience stores have been on the rise, including the recent arrest of a man in his 30s who killed a store owner to steal 200,000 won.

Recently, a man in his 30s, Mr. A, was arrested by the police on charges of stabbing and killing a convenience store owner, Mr. B (33), with a weapon at around 10:52 p.m. on the 8th in a convenience store located in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, and fleeing after stealing about 200,000 won in cash. Mr. A told the police, "I went to the convenience store to steal money because I had none," and "the victim screamed and tried to defend himself, so I stabbed him momentarily." The deceased victim was working alone on a night shift when the tragedy occurred.

According to crime statistics from the National Police Agency, the number of convenience store crimes has steadily increased: ▲13,548 cases in 2018 ▲14,355 cases in 2019 ▲14,697 cases in 2020 ▲15,489 cases in 2021. As of 2021, the most common type of convenience store crime was theft (6,143 cases), while violent crimes such as injury and assault recorded 2,071 cases.

As crimes targeting convenience stores increase, store owners are living in fear. On the 14th, Hong Seong-gil, Policy Director of the Korea Convenience Store Owners Association, said in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "when working late at night, many intoxicated customers come in, and it feels very unsettling," adding, "More and more store owners are actually purchasing and keeping electric shock devices, wooden swords, and bats at the counter."

Many convenience stores have installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) and emergency bells under the counters. However, convenience store owners agree that emergency bells are only for quick reporting once a crime has occurred and are not preventive measures. This means that store workers may face dangerous situations where they have to confront criminals before the police arrive.

There is also criticism that cigarette advertisement sheets make the inside of convenience stores blind spots for crime. According to the current National Health Promotion Act and Tobacco Business Act, cigarette advertisements inside tobacco retail stores must not be visible from outside. Since July 2021, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has started cracking down on cigarette advertisements visible from outside, leading convenience stores to apply translucent sheets on their storefronts to avoid penalties.

Some convenience store owners argue that these sheets prevent outsiders from seeing inside, making store workers more vulnerable to crime. Director Hong said, "Because the inside is obscured from outside view, criminals may feel emboldened to commit crimes," and added, "There are many negative opinions about whether the crackdown on cigarette advertisements actually helps reduce smoking rates."