"No Laundry but Late-Night Snacks?"... Owner Frustrated by Absurd Scene at Unmanned Laundry Room

Bringing Outside Food to Eat Only and Leave
Police Dispatched Following Report by Other Customers
Store Owner Unable to File Complaint Due to Concerns Over Sales Impact

Late at night, footage was revealed showing individuals occupying a self-service laundromat without doing laundry, instead bringing in outside food and setting up a meal, thereby using the space without permission.

Image of an unmanned laundromat unrelated to the article content [Photo by Asia Economy]

On the 31st, Hankook Ilbo reported that Mr. A (32), who operates a 24-hour unmanned coin laundry in Cheongju, Chungbuk, recently witnessed an unexpected scene through the store’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) and expressed his dismay.

According to the report, in the early morning of the 31st, two men estimated to be in their 20s and 30s and one woman entered the laundromat carrying plastic bags filled with food. They placed the food on the table and sat down to eat, appearing natural. None of them brought any laundry.

While the group was eating, another customer who came to use the laundromat glanced at them and left the store. A few minutes later, a police car arrived in front of the laundromat. Upon seeing the police, the group appeared flustered, and only then did the woman pay for and sit in a massage chair located in a corner of the store, pretending to rest. When the police entered and requested a warning and asked them to leave, they eventually vacated the premises.

People who were using an unmanned laundromat like a restaurant are meeting the police who arrived after a report from the owner.
[Photo capture=Hankook Ilbo]

The police reportedly arrived at the scene after receiving a report from a customer who had come to use the laundromat. This customer also shared the situation with the owner, Mr. A. In a phone interview with Hankook Ilbo, Mr. A said he refrained from taking legal action, fearing a confrontation if he faced the individuals directly, and decided not to press charges after considering various circumstances.

Meanwhile, as unmanned stores increase, cases of so-called 'problematic customers' who cause theft, property damage, and even use the facilities as restrooms have been on the rise, causing frustration. In March, a story was posted on the self-employed community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' about a customer who left a partially eaten ice cream stick stuck in the payment terminal of an unmanned photo studio, causing the machine to break and resulting in damages worth hundreds of thousands of won. In December last year, in Wonju, Gangwon Province, a high school student entered an unmanned store late at night, took snacks, attempted to pay, and when the payment did not go through, caused a disturbance for about 40 minutes by damaging store fixtures, resulting in charges of property damage.