A Former Employee of Korea National Oil Corporation Dug a Tunnel to Steal Oil... What Was Found

Two Former Korea National Oil Corporation Employees Involved in Crime
Dug a 16m Tunnel and Caught by Police

Three individuals who attempted to steal oil by digging a tunnel down to an underground oil pipeline in the heart of Cheonan, Chungnam, were sentenced to up to 4 years and 6 months in prison.

On the 24th, the Criminal Division 12 of Daejeon District Court sentenced A and B, former employees of Korea National Oil Corporation, who were indicted for violating the Oil Pipeline Safety Management Act, to 4 years and 6 months and 3 years and 6 months in prison, respectively, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency on the same day. The court also sentenced C, who provided 160 million won in funds for the crime, to 4 years and 6 months in prison.

Pipeline construction site. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article.

On February 8, A and others rented a two-story warehouse in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, and over four months until June 20, they dug a tunnel about 75 cm wide, 90 cm high, and 16.8 m long, descending 4 meters below the building’s basement using shovels and pickaxes, attempting to steal oil from the pipeline but were caught by police before succeeding. To avoid suspicion from the surroundings, they put up a fake logistics center sign on the rented warehouse and disguised the area leading to the tunnel inside the building as a cold storage room, showing meticulous planning.

A and B had worked together at Korea National Oil Corporation. Utilizing their past work experience and expertise, they selected the location to dig the tunnel and personally purchased essential equipment to attach to the oil pipeline, playing key roles in the crime. A committed the crime during a probation period after being previously punished for a similar offense, and C also had a history of three prior punishments for the same crime. The tunnel they dug was located in the middle of the city, directly beneath a four-lane road crossing the urban area, posing a risk of major casualties due to ground subsidence and collapse.

The court pointed out, "The act of stealing oil is not only a crime against special property with high social and economic value but also causes significant social harm considering the national economic losses and explosion risks due to damage to the oil pipeline." Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "Although the crime was unsuccessful due to lack of funds, it was planned and organized over a considerable period, warranting severe punishment."

Meanwhile, a similar crime involving the use of technicians with specialized knowledge of oil to extract oil from pipelines occurred last year. In September last year, the Criminal Division 12 of Daejeon District Court sentenced D (65), a former employee of Korea Oil Pipeline Corporation who was detained and indicted for violating the Oil Pipeline Safety Management Act, to 4 years in prison. Additionally, E (58) and three others involved as financiers and workers were sentenced to 2 years, 2 years and 6 months, and 3 years in prison, respectively, for the same charges.

They were tried for renting an entire lodging facility in Cheongju, Chungbuk, in January of the same year, drilling through the basement wall, and digging a tunnel with shovels and pickaxes to extract oil from the pipeline. D and others deceived the lodging owner by claiming they would run a motel business and signed a contract for a monthly rent of 4.5 million won. Starting in May last year, D recruited accomplices by promising profits of 400 to 500 won per liter to acquaintances he met while working in the oil industry. The gathered group divided roles into financiers, oil theft facility installation technicians, and excavation workers, first scouting the crime location. They then meticulously prepared by surveying the pipeline installation site and drafting tunnel design plans. Notably, D, who had multiple prior convictions for similar crimes, planned the crime again just one month after being released from prison, based on knowledge gained while working as a technician at Korea Oil Pipeline Corporation.

In October last year, they rented a gas station in Okcheon, Chungbuk, and attempted excavation once but gave up due to flooding in the tunnel. They then used the Cheongju lodging facility as a second crime base. D and others lived there for about 50 days, digging a tunnel about 10 meters long, reaching a point 30 cm from the pipeline, but were arrested by police just before stealing the oil. The pipeline location they approached was underground next to a four-lane national road with an average daily traffic of 66,000 vehicles, and was known to be at risk of collapse due to ground subsidence. The court stated, "Considering the great social harm and the fact that multiple accomplices divided roles and carried out the crime in a planned and organized manner, the crime is very serious, but the fact that the crime was unsuccessful was taken into account in sentencing."