An 80-Year-Old Bicycle Thief Who Stole 4 Bikes on the Street and Kept 15 at Home... Truly Passionate About Bicycles

Stolen and Sold Cheaply for Years
15 More Bicycles Found at Home
Low Arrest Rate Behind Frequent Bicycle Thefts

An man in his 80s who had been stealing and selling bicycles for years was caught by the police. On the 29th, KBS reported that the Nowon Police Station in Seoul recently booked and is investigating an 80-year-old man identified as A on suspicion of theft. A is accused of stealing four bicycles parked at a bicycle rack near Nowon Station in Seoul around 12:50 PM on the 25th.

An man in his 80s who had been stealing and selling bicycles for several years was caught by the police. On the 29th, KBS reported that the Nowon Police Station in Seoul recently booked and is investigating Mr. A, in his 80s, on charges of theft.
[Photo by KBS]

A was caught when the Nowon District Office’s control center was patrolling the area around the station via video surveillance. According to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released by the Nowon District Office to KBS, A appeared on a bicycle at a bicycle rack near Nowon Station on the 23rd and stayed there for a while. Afterwards, he unlocked the locks of bicycles parked near a park close to Nowon Station.

Carrying two bicycles, A demonstrated a stunt by riding one bicycle with one hand while pulling another bicycle with the other hand as he moved. It is known that he stole a total of four bicycles near Nowon Station using this method. Police who responded to a report from the Nowon District Office discovered an additional 15 bicycles at A’s home and urgently arrested him on suspicion of theft. It is reported that A confessed to stealing bicycles for years and selling them at low prices. The police are verifying whether A has committed other crimes and are searching for the owners of the bicycles recovered from his residence.

"Even if I don’t steal anything else, I will somehow steal bicycles"

One of the things that surprises many foreigners visiting Korea is how Koreans casually leave their phones or bags unattended in public places like cafes. Many foreigners say this is unimaginable in other countries. However, bicycles are different. Many people express frustration that even if they lock their bicycles or leave them parked briefly in front of their homes, they still get stolen.

Mr. A was caught while the Nowon District Office control center was patrolling the area around the station via video. Carrying two bicycles, Mr. A performed a stunt by riding one bicycle with one hand while pulling the other bicycle with the other hand as he moved.
[Photo by KBS]

Regarding the unusually high number of bicycle thefts compared to other types of theft, social media and online communities often sarcastically refer to Korea as the "Land of Eom Bok-dong." Eom Bok-dong was a cyclist active during the Japanese colonial period who was skilled enough to win several competitions but was also imprisoned for habitual bicycle theft.

The high incidence of bicycle theft is also confirmed by statistics. According to the National Police Agency, in 2022 there were 3,183 cases of burglary, 4,055 cases of store theft, and 278 cases of pickpocketing, but bicycle theft cases reached 12,033. This means about 33 bicycles are stolen daily. This is 43 times the number of pickpocketing cases and three times that of store theft. Considering many bicycle thefts go unreported, the actual number of victims is likely much higher.

The reason bicycle thieves continue to operate actively is attributed to the low arrest rate. The arrest rate for bicycle theft cases is 33%, meaning two out of three thieves are not caught by the police. This is only half the overall average arrest rate of 62% for theft cases.

Experts point out that the particularly low awareness of bicycle theft stems from the low likelihood of actual punishment, the ease of targeting bicycles due to their common presence, and the activation of secondhand trading platforms that facilitate quick cash conversion.

For this reason, some local governments have introduced a bicycle registration system that assigns unique identification numbers to applicants’ bicycles. This system involves attaching anti-theft and identification devices to bicycles and assigning registration numbers like cars, with local governments and police stations managing the information. However, since actual registration is done at the user’s discretion, the number of registered bicycles is not high, leading to criticisms about its limited effectiveness.