"Reservation Deposits Recommended
to Prevent No-Show Damages"
Across the country, so-called 'no-show' crimes are occurring in which individuals impersonate military officers to place large group orders at restaurants and then cut off contact.
According to Yonhap News Agency on April 21, a restaurant owner in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, recently received a reservation call from someone claiming to be a military officer, who wanted to order about 40 servings. However, when the scheduled time arrived, the customer did not show up.
In response, Uljin County sent a text message through the Uljin County branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association to provide guidance on preventing no-show damages. An official from Uljin County stated, "Since the restaurant reported damage from a no-show, we sent out the message as a precaution," and added, "To prevent such incidents, it is recommended to collect a reservation deposit or verify the customer's identity in person."
This is not the first time a no-show incident has occurred involving someone impersonating a military officer. The 1st Marine Division in Pohang also sent out a warning message to small business owners after a similar incident took place recently. In fact, last month in Jeju, a man who identified himself as a Marine Corps officer ordered 100 pieces of bread from a bakery but ultimately never appeared at the store.
Another similar case occurred on April 14 at a Samgyetang restaurant in Unam-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. A man who claimed to be affiliated with a military unit placed an order worth 600,000 won for Samgyetang, but then became unreachable. The restaurant owner tried calling the reservation number several times but was never able to make contact.
Meanwhile, if the intentional nature of a no-show is proven, the perpetrator can be charged with obstruction of business by fraud. In such cases, the penalty can be imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 15 million won.
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