Store Owner "Reported Due to No Direct Contact Method"
Sent to Prosecution but Received 'No Charges' Disposition
A man was sent to the prosecution after accidentally forgetting to pay 4,000 won at an unmanned store.
On the 6th, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported the story of Mr. A, who was sent to the prosecution for accidentally leaving an unmanned ice cream shop in Seoul last August without paying after looking in the mirror. CCTV footage showed Mr. A scanning the barcode to pay for the ice cream he had chosen, putting the ice cream in a bag, then looking in the mirror and leaving the store without completing the payment.
A few days later, two detectives from the violent crimes unit visited Mr. A's home, and only then did he realize he was being mistaken for a thief. Mr. A lamented, "They reported me without any warning. I just forgot. I've been using this place for 1 to 2 years. It's absurd." However, Mr. B responded, "Do you think we would know who it is and be able to contact the person who took it?" He added, "This isn't just one or two cases in that neighborhood. Some people have taken goods worth 2 to 3 million won." But Mr. A insisted, "I'm not that kind of person. I've visited about 450 times over two years and spent over 900,000 won. I've even talked face-to-face with the owner, and on the days I didn't pay, I was completely unaware and still bought ice cream the next day," expressing his frustration.
Mr. A deposited 4,000 won and expressed regret, saying, "What if they had attached a CCTV capture, contacted the card company, or talked to me directly when we met?" Mr. B explained, "We appreciated him as a regular customer, but we also suffered a lot emotionally. We had no choice but to report it."
Then one day, Mr. A received a call from the police. The police asked, "Why do you keep doing that at OO Ice Cream?" When Mr. A replied, "I contacted them because they told me to settle it," the police said, "When did they tell you to settle? They told you to handle it yourselves. That's nonsense."
When Mr. A said, "I should pay the 4,000 won, right?" the police asked back, "Don't you know you shouldn't approach the victim like that? That?" When Mr. A answered, "I didn't know," the police scolded, "I told you not to say 'I didn't know.' It's basic knowledge, even elementary school students know that."
The police further explained, "Theft is subject to criminal punishment regardless of the victim's intention," and revealed that the case had been forwarded to the prosecution. They also warned, "The victim store owner said, 'I'm reporting because I feel bad,' so don't behave in a way that causes discomfort."
Afterwards, Mr. A organized evidence such as CCTV footage and payment statements along with a written opinion and submitted them to the prosecution, resulting in a dismissal of the theft charges. The court explained, "The suspect has records of purchasing and paying for products many times at the store, and since the value of the item taken was only 4,000 won, it does not appear that there was any reason to steal."
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