Profiler Bae Sang-hoon on the Park Narae Theft Case
"Suspect Seems to Be a Professional Targeting Only Celebrities"
"Burglars Can Figure Out Security Just by Watching a Few Scenes"
Broadcaster Park Narae had valuables worth tens of millions of won stolen from her home, and the suspect was caught by the police. Amid this, an analysis has emerged suggesting that entertainment programs revealing celebrities' homes may pose crime risks. Profiler Bae Sang-hoon said in an interview on YTN Radio's 'Wise Radio Life' on the 15th, "It seems the police apprehended professional criminals who mainly target celebrities or entertainers in the Hannam-dong area during their investigation," adding, "From my perspective, the suspect appears to be a professional criminal who primarily targets celebrities or entertainers."
Earlier, on the 8th, it was reported that a burglar broke into Park Narae's detached house located in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and the police were notified. The Seoul Yongsan Police Station announced on the 14th that they had recently arrested the suspect on charges including theft and were conducting a detention investigation. Initially, since there were no signs of external intrusion, some speculated that the act might have been committed by an acquaintance, but the police stated, "The crime was committed by breaking in from outside." The suspect is known to have multiple prior theft convictions and reportedly claimed not to have known that the house belonged to Park Narae.
However, Profiler Bae said, "It's actually impossible not to know. Because if you look around the area, you can quickly tell it's Park Narae's house. It doesn't make sense logically," adding, "The suspect is a repeat offender, so that claim is likely just to receive a lighter sentence in court."
He continued, "The problem with someone like Park Narae is that there is a program that reveals her home (referring to MBC's 'I Live Alone')," and said, "Celebrities or entertainers usually reveal a different house provided by their agency rather than their actual home, which is common practice. But this program reveals the actual residence, which is very dangerous. Professional burglars can quickly figure out the security setup just by watching a few scenes."
He added, "Park Narae herself was at risk. She shouldn't have done that on the broadcast," and said, "Even in places like Hollywood in the U.S., there have been cases where burglars break into celebrities' homes intending only to steal items but end up firing guns. There might be times when Park Narae is home without a schedule, or her family or acquaintances might be staying there, so it's very dangerous. Burglary always carries the risk of robbery."
He emphasized, "The agency should get security consulting and prepare accordingly. Just because a program is good doesn't mean everything should be revealed; there can be backlash," and added, "Since there are criminals targeting that, certain limits must be observed."
There have been previous cases where celebrities suffered damages due to their homes being exposed. Broadcaster Han Hye-jin revealed on SBS's 'My Ugly Duckling' in July last year that an outsider had trespassed into her villa built in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. At the time, Han Hye-jin said, "I didn't want to put up a fence around the villa. If I did, it would feel like being trapped, which goes against why I came to be close to nature. I really didn't want to put one up," but she shared the story behind why she had no choice but to install a fence.
She said, "One day, while I was in the living room, I saw a gray sedan parked right in the middle of the yard. I wondered, 'Is this someone I know?' but it was a stranger. When I asked how they came, they said, 'I came after watching TV and YouTube.' It was like they came as tourists," and added, "'I'm sorry, this is private property, so you can't come in,' I told them, and they said, 'I won't watch TV anymore,' and left. It was very sad."
She continued, "That day, while watching TV, I heard the sound of a car door closing again. I thought, 'It can't be,' and peeked through the curtains to see another group had come. When I went out, they were very happy and said, 'Oh, you were home.' Because they were so delighted, I felt bad. I told them, 'Sorry, this is private property, so please leave,'" and said, "I had three groups come while I was there. That means even more must have come when I wasn't home," adding, "The third group even parked right in the middle of the yard and took photos with the house as the background. I was very shocked. It was a big shock."
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