Eldest of Seven Siblings Living in a 14-Pyeong Rental Apartment
Mother Battling Illness... Caring for Younger Siblings in Her Place
A high school student who was in a welfare blind spot stole a bicycle, but during the investigation, a heartbreaking situation was revealed, and with the help of the police, he was able to receive welfare benefits.
The full story of the case, revealed by the police on the 25th, is as follows. Around 9 p.m. on November 18 last year, high school student A, after finishing his part-time job, was walking home, which was a 30-minute walk away, when he rode a bicycle that was parked without a lock at a bicycle rack in an apartment complex. A few hours later, the bicycle owner reported to 112 that "someone stole my bicycle," and the police investigation began.
However, two days later, A came directly to the local police station of Osan Police Station and explained the circumstances of the bicycle theft he committed. A stated, "It looked similar to a bicycle my friend usually rides, so I mistook it for my friend's bicycle," and "I intended to borrow it briefly, but later realized it was someone else's bicycle and returned it." He said, lowering his head, "I was hurrying because it seemed very late while returning home after work, and I thought I had to quickly prepare meals for my six younger siblings." After returning the bicycle to the owner, A voluntarily came to the police station and confessed his wrongdoing.
Afterward, the case files were transferred to the Women and Youth Division of the higher-level Osan Police Station, where the officer in charge paid more attention to A's family circumstances revealed through his statement than to the theft itself. A's family is a large family with six sons and one daughter, and A is the eldest son. Despite being a high school student, he was working part-time at a nearby restaurant to support the household.
A's father works at a logistics center, and his mother is battling heart failure and lung disease. It was reported that A spends a lot of time taking care of his six younger siblings, who are middle school, elementary school, kindergarten students, and a 7-month-old infant. The family of nine, including parents and seven siblings, lives in a 14-pyeong (approximately 46 square meters) national rental apartment, with relatively poor living conditions. However, since A's father has a monthly income and owns a vehicle, they were excluded from being classified as vulnerable groups such as basic livelihood security recipients or near-poverty groups. Under current regulations, owning a vehicle above a certain standard results in disadvantages in the selection process for near-poverty groups. A's father reportedly said about owning the vehicle, "Because we have many children and often need to take my wife to the hospital, we had no choice but to own a vehicle."
Police Decide to Provide Welfare Support in Consultation with Related Agencies
The police judged that A's family was in a welfare blind spot and saw the need for local government assistance. They conducted several home visits to investigate the family's specific circumstances. They also held joint meetings with officials from the community center and health center, interviewed A's guardians, checked the children's health, and provided psychological counseling. As a result, on the 6th, seven organizations including Osan City, Osan Police Station, the community center, youth center, health center, and welfare agencies held an integrated meeting and decided to provide substantial welfare support to A's family.
For living support, they provided emergency welfare support (3.2 million KRW × 3 months), household sponsorship items (blankets, ramen, etc.), meal expenses (300,000 KRW), housing environment improvement (disinfection of residence), children's medical expenses (300,000 KRW), and eyeglasses purchase expenses (100,000 KRW). For educational support, after-school care was provided for three elementary and middle school children, exercise programs and career counseling were offered for the middle school child, and for housing support, they are reviewing whether the existing housing purchase rental system (up to 8 years rental) can be applied.
Meanwhile, regarding A's bicycle theft case, a juvenile guidance committee was held on the 11th of last month. The juvenile guidance committee considers cases where the crime committed by a juvenile is minor, the offender is a first-time offender, or the victim has reached an agreement, and comprehensively reviews the case details and motives to decide on measures such as admonition, summary judgment, or formal charges. On that day, the committee decided on a summary judgment for A.
Subsequently, the court suspended the sentence of a 100,000 KRW fine for A. A suspended sentence means that for a minor crime, the sentencing is postponed for a certain period, and if two years pass from the suspension date, it is effectively treated as if it never happened. A police official said, "A expressed gratitude to the police and said he plans to learn heavy equipment-related skills to support his family's livelihood and take care of his siblings," adding, "We hope the seven siblings grow up healthy and well."
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