"Seven Live Chickens Delivered in Front of Store Stolen... 'Clear Theft Crime'"

CCTV Footage Captured

A middle-aged woman was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) sneaking away with seven raw chickens delivered in front of someone else's store.

On the 17th, JTBC's 'Case Manager' revealed footage of the theft by a middle-aged woman taken around 5:40 p.m. on the 12th in front of a store on the street in Wonju-si, Gangwon-do.

The video shows two middle-aged women walking together. Suddenly, one woman quickly bends down and disappears out of the frame. The companion stops and looks for the missing woman, waiting on the street for a moment. A few seconds later, the woman who had disappeared reappears holding a white bag. She then moves a few steps, slips the white bag into a black bag she was originally carrying, and disappears.

A middle-aged woman was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) sneaking away with seven raw chickens delivered in front of someone else's store.
[Photo by JTBC Sajeonbanjang]

The white bag the woman took contained seven raw chickens that the store owner had ordered from a supplier for a reserved customer.

The store owner had briefly stopped by a hospital, and during that time, the delivery arrived. The supplier told the store owner they would leave the chickens at the door.

Since the hospital was very close to the store, the owner agreed. However, when the owner returned a few minutes later, the delivered chickens had completely disappeared.

Because there was no CCTV directly in front of the store, the owner obtained footage from a neighboring store’s CCTV to confirm the theft. According to the store owner, the price of the seven prepared raw chickens was about 50,000 won. However, due to the sudden disappearance of the chickens, the owner was very troubled as they could not serve the reserved customer that day. The owner added that they are submitting the video in hopes of catching the culprit.

Netizens who saw the video commented, "You’re not supposed to touch packages or deliveries, but they went ahead and did it. I hope they get properly punished," "It’s ridiculous to think of taking something left in front of someone else’s store," and "Who would throw away seven perfectly good chickens? They should be severely punished."

Taking Delivered or Misdelivered Items Can Be Punished as Theft

Even if a delivery package is placed in front of the entrance rather than inside the house, it is considered the recipient's possession. Therefore, intentionally taking and using or disposing of it constitutes theft. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article.
[Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Asia Economy]

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of delivery services has surged, leading to increased conflicts among neighbors over stolen or misdelivered packages. Taking packages left in front of someone else’s home or store is punishable as theft. Furthermore, even if the item was mistakenly delivered to your address, using it can result in punishment, so if a package is not yours, you should notify the delivery company or leave it where it is.

Most package theft cases occur when the recipient cannot receive the package directly and asks the delivery person to leave it at the door. Secretly taking packages left in front of others’ homes, stores, or delivery boxes constitutes theft under criminal law.

Article 329 of the Criminal Act (Theft) states, "A person who steals another’s property shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than six years or by a fine not exceeding 10 million won." The Supreme Court has ruled that "stealing" means "taking possession of another’s property, which is possessed by someone else, against the possessor’s will, and transferring possession to oneself or a third party."

Even if the package is left at the front door rather than inside the house, it is considered under the recipient’s possession, so intentionally taking and using or disposing of it constitutes theft.

The situation in the earlier video also qualifies as theft. Lawyer Baek Seong-moon explained, "In these types of theft cases, 99% of suspects say, 'I thought someone had abandoned it.' However, these chickens were delivered specifically for cooking, so their freshness would have been somewhat confirmed. This is clearly theft. Also, the 50,000 won chicken price is not the entire damage amount; if the chickens were reserved and sold, the lost profit should also be included in the damages."

He continued, "Even if the damage amount is small, the police should not ignore it. To eradicate such crimes, it is necessary to clearly show that offenders will be punished."