A man is forcibly opening a cash box inside an unmanned store. Video provided by Gyeongnam Police Agency
A man in his twenties who stole cash and valuables from unmanned stores late at night has been arrested and detained.
On June 26, the Gimhae Seobu Police Station in Gyeongnam Province announced that it had detained a man in his twenties, identified as A, on charges of theft.
According to the police, from June 11 to June 25, A is suspected of stealing cash, tablet PCs, and other valuables worth about 1.3 million won in a total of 11 incidents at unmanned PC rooms, unmanned ice cream shops, and unmanned clothing stores in the Gimhae area.
He targeted unmanned stores, which lack employees and have weak security, in order to obtain living expenses while wandering without a fixed residence.
After receiving reports, the police conducted an intensive investigation by analyzing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and tracking his movements before and after the crimes. On June 16, they found A, who was homeless, on the emergency stairs on the rooftop of an apartment building in Gimhae and arrested him.
As of 2024, there are 1,313 unmanned stores in Gyeongnam Province, and the number continues to increase. In 2023, there were 440 reported cases of theft in unmanned stores in the province.
A police official stated, "Unmanned stores are vulnerable to crime because there are no employees or other supervisors inside," and advised, "To prevent theft, in addition to installing CCTV, cash vaults or kiosk cash slots should be reinforced with steel plates so that they cannot be damaged with scissors or screwdrivers."
The official added, "When a cash vault or kiosk is opened, an alarm should sound or a security company should be immediately notified, and the cash collection cycle should be shortened so that as little cash as possible is left inside the store."
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