Man Returns 20 Minutes After Viewing Home With Real Estate Agent to Commit 'Crime'

Returned Secretly, Broke In, and Committed Theft Before Being Arrested

A man who viewed a house with a real estate agent in a residential area of Seoul figured out the password, secretly broke in, and committed theft, for which he was subsequently arrested.

According to the National Police Agency's YouTube channel and other sources on October 4, in June, a man identified as Mr. A visited a house in a residential area of Seoul with a real estate agent, but the resident was not at home. The agent had received the password in advance and used it to show the house.

A man was arrested for committing theft after secretly breaking in by figuring out the password while viewing a house with a real estate agent in a residential area of Seoul. Screenshot from the National Police Agency YouTube channel "Republic of Korea National Police Agency"

Mr. A closely observed as the agent entered the front door password. About 20 minutes later, he returned to the house, entered the password, and secretly broke in.

Mr. A stole valuables and cards worth about 3.85 million won, placed them in a bag he had prepared in advance, and fled the scene. The video also shows Mr. A leaving the shared entrance with the bag he had brought.

The victim found the house in disarray, became suspicious, and, upon discovering the valuables were missing, reported the incident to the police.

In June, a man was seen following a real estate agent to view a house in a residential area of Seoul. Captured from the National Police Agency's YouTube.

The police tracked Mr. A's location via his mobile phone and apprehended him at a location believed to be a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna). It has been reported that Mr. A used the stolen valuables to repay private loans. He was later formally arrested. The police are currently investigating the details of the case.

In the comments on the video, viewers responded, "Real estate agents should also be careful when entering passwords," "How will houses be shown in the future?" and "Each real estate office needs to take precautions to prevent password exposure."

Meanwhile, according to recent crime statistics from the National Police Agency, residential break-ins account for about 44% of all theft crimes. These incidents tend to occur most frequently in low-rise residential areas such as single-family and multi-family homes, which are more exposed to the outside.