An Elderly Couple Who Broke Into Someone Else's Detached House and Stole Branches... 'Hands and Feet Working Smoothly'

Elderly Couple Steal Branches from Flower Bed in Detached House
Charged with Special Theft... Possible Imprisonment
Homeowner "Hope Their Hard Work Growing Crops Is Recognized"

An elderly couple was caught sneaking into someone else's detached house and stealing crops.

Recently, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported on an elderly couple who entered a house in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, last July and stole eggplants planted in the flower bed. The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage clearly showed a grandmother wearing a hat and mask casually picking eggplants. She repeatedly squatted on the ground and plucked the eggplants with her bare hands. The grandfather, presumed to be her husband, received the eggplants from her and placed them into a bag he had brought.

An elderly couple stealing branches from someone else's garden flowerbed.
[Photo by JTBC Sajeonbanjang, YouTube channel]

The homeowner, Mr. A, said, "I was growing crops such as eggplants, lettuce, and perilla leaves in my yard when this happened," and reported to 'Case Manager,' "It was common for passersby to steal one or two crops, but this is the first time more than ten eggplants were stolen all at once." He added, "Since thefts happen so frequently, I plan to build a fence," and expressed, "I hope people understand how hard it is to cultivate crops."

In response, Kim Eun-bae, former head of the International Crime Investigation Team at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, explained, "The elderly couple's actions constitute special theft rather than simple theft, so the punishment is severe," and added, "If the stolen eggplants are returned to the owner as they are, some leniency may be considered." According to current law, taking crops without the owner's permission is punishable by up to six years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won. Especially, if the illegal harvesting is done as a group, it can be charged as special theft, punishable by one to ten years in prison.

Netizens who heard the story reacted with comments such as, "It doesn't seem like something done just once or twice," "The wife and husband really are alike," and "It's really shameful to steal from others at their age."