In Unmanned Store, Repeatedly 'Sneaking' Ice Cream... Owner Finally Reports After Losing Patience

Man Steals Ice Cream from Unmanned Store
Owner: "It's Hard to Run a Business... It Breaks My Heart"

Amid a series of theft crimes targeting unmanned stores, a self-employed person operating an unmanned ice cream store in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, recently expressed frustration.

On the 20th, Yonhap News reported, "A man in his 60s, Mr. A, who opened an unmanned ice cream store last month, suffered theft by an unidentified man estimated to be in his 70s or older." The thief repeatedly entered Mr. A's store, put one or two ice creams into his inner pocket, and ran away.

A man is stealing items and running away from an unmanned ice cream store located in Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mr. A said, "I thought the elderly man was taking ice cream because he had no snacks, but since he kept stealing ice cream almost every day, I couldn't just stand by," adding, "I announced, 'Grandfather, you can't just take the ice cream,' but he ignored it."

Reviewing the CCTV footage taken around 8:30 a.m. that day, the man entered the store, picked up a stick-type ice cream, opened his tracksuit top, put it inside, and naturally left the store. Mr. A said, "Even if I sell an ice cream priced at 600 to 700 won, the profit margin is 30%, so only 100 to 200 won remains," and appealed, "The damage amount is minor, but if theft continues daily, it is very painful for a store owner who works hard every day."

As the damage continued, Mr. A reported five confirmed theft cases to the Yongin Eastern Police Station on the 15th. The police stated, "We are conducting investigations such as tracking CCTV routes," and "The arrest rate for unmanned store theft cases is relatively high at 80 to 90%."

Meanwhile, theft crimes exploiting the characteristics of unmanned stores operated without managers are rapidly increasing. According to the National Police Agency, the number of theft cases at unmanned stores nearly doubled from 698 cases in 2021 (March to December) to 1,363 cases in 2022 (January to December). Regarding the age distribution of suspects in unmanned store theft cases (second half of 2022), 104 were minors (including 50 juvenile offenders), and 385 were adults, with minors accounting for 21.2% of the total.

In particular, incidents such as intoxicated customers making a mess inside unmanned stores or urinating and fleeing are also occurring frequently, deepening the worries of self-employed people operating unmanned stores.