Shocked Business Owner: "I Will Close My Store"
There was public outrage after a business owner shared a story about witnessing customers having sex in an unmanned photo booth, a place even children visit.
On the 29th, a post titled "I run an unmanned photo booth, but I can't keep doing this" was uploaded to the self-employed online community 'Apeunikka Sajangida' (Because It Hurts, I'm a Boss). The author, Mr. A, revealed that he operates an unmanned photo booth in Busan, saying, "There are too many thefts and damages. I've tolerated people vomiting, spilling ice cream or drinks on the floor, and even intoxicated customers urinating inside."
(This photo is not directly related to the article) [Photo by Yeonju Kim, Intern yeonju1853@asiae.co.kr]
Mr. A was shocked while checking the store’s condition via CCTV on a weekend evening. He witnessed a man and a woman having sex inside the photo booth. He explained the situation, saying, "I reported it to the police immediately, but they arrived one minute too late, so we failed to catch them in the act."
Mr. A stated that there are eight CCTV cameras in the store. He even said the problematic couple paid by card and took all their photos before leaving. Based on the evidence, Mr. A filed a police complaint against them.
He added, "The man covered his face with a hat in the middle of it," expressing anger, "but their faces were all recorded when they entered." He continued, "Unmanned photo booths are places where even children come. Exactly 40 minutes before the couple arrived, children were taking pictures together," expressing disbelief, "I don’t understand what they were doing in a place visited by people of all ages."
Ultimately, Mr. A said, "Because of this incident, I decided to close the store by early next year," and appealed, "Since that day, I’ve been checking the CCTV every 30 minutes out of fear."
Those who read the story also reacted with shock. Netizens expressed outrage with comments like, "Unmanned stores in South Korea were probably premature. It’s no different from China," and "I didn’t expect unmanned stores to be this bad."
Meanwhile, as various unmanned stores such as ice cream discount shops, instant photo booths, cafes, and claw machine arcades increase, business owners are increasingly complaining about rude customer behavior. In January, a story was posted on the self-employed community ‘Apeunikka Sajangida’ about a claw machine arcade owner who suffered a 'feces attack.' In March, another owner shared how a customer caused damage worth hundreds of thousands of won by sticking a half-eaten ice cream stick into the payment terminal of an unmanned photo booth. Besides these, the community continues to feature posts from owners complaining about theft, equipment damage, and excessive displays of affection by so-called 'problematic customers' in unmanned stores.
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