Robbed an unmanned store with a hammer but sent home... "Because he is a chogbeop boy"

Stole 300,000 Won from 3 Places... Similar Crimes in the Past

One of the suspects who damaged an unmanned store's cash register with a hammer and stole cash was sent home because he is a juvenile offender.

According to the police on the 3rd, they responded to a report of a theft attempt at an unmanned store located in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, around 6 a.m. on the 28th of last month.

Photo by Yonhap News

The incident was carried out by two middle school students. They roamed unmanned stores in the Eunpyeong-gu area of Seoul, stealing cash and other items.

Among those caught by the police, one was a juvenile offender (aged 10 to under 14) who is not subject to criminal punishment, so he was simply sent home. The other was detained.

According to the police, they are suspected of damaging locks at three unmanned stores in the Eunpyeong-gu area using a hammer they had prepared in advance and stealing about 300,000 won in cash.

It was found that they had committed similar crimes in the past.

Unmanned stores, which have increased due to the impact of COVID-19 and rising labor costs, have become lawless zones for teenagers.

According to statistics from the National Police Agency, from January to June last year, there were a total of 2,830 theft cases at unmanned stores, averaging 471 cases per month. This is about a 34% increase compared to the previous year (monthly average of 351 cases). Among these, the proportion of thefts committed by teenagers exceeded half at 52%.

They are committing crimes while even sharing tips on how to steal from unmanned stores on social networking services (SNS).

Another reason is the passive response from store owners. Most damages are small amounts, and the likelihood of crime detection is low. Cases like this, where the suspects are caught on the spot, are extremely rare, and most must be identified through CCTV, which takes a long time and makes proving the charges difficult.