High School Girl Found Dead After Unmanned Store Theft Footage Spreads

The footage spreads among students, fueling rumors
Expert: "Revealing faces without consent is a clear crime"

An incident occurred in Hongseong, Chungnam, where a female high school student died after being unable to endure psychological pressure following the spread of CCTV footage showing her taking items from an unmanned store.

According to a report by Korea NGO News on the 29th, a second-year high school student, identified as Ms. A (18), was found dead at her home on September 23. The bereaved family claimed, "The illegal footage was effectively circulated in a way that revealed her identity, making her a target of ridicule."

An incident occurred in Hongseong, Chungnam, where a female high school student died after being unable to endure psychological pressure following the spread of CCTV footage showing her taking items from an unmanned store. (The photo is for illustrative purposes and unrelated to the article content.)

Footage of theft worth 5,000 won spreads from private sharing to the entire community

It was reported that prior to her death, Ms. A had taken items several times without paying at an unmanned ice cream store near her school. The total value was said to be about 5,000 won.

However, the situation escalated rapidly when the store owner handed over CCTV capture images of the incident to an acquaintance who ran a study room. The study room operator showed the images to students, asking them to identify the person, and the unblurred face quickly spread among the students.

Due to the small size of the community, the footage soon reached Ms. A's brother and other acquaintances. On September 22, her brother informed their parents, and her mother planned to meet the store owner the next day to discuss compensation. However, investigations found that Ms. A made an extreme decision after agonizing over the situation throughout the night.

Store owner and study room operator reported to police... Revealing personal information is clearly illegal

On October 14, the bereaved family reported the unmanned store owner to the Hongseong Police Station for violating the Personal Information Protection Act and the Information and Communications Network Act, and the study room operator for violating the Information and Communications Network Act.

Distributing images that can identify a person's face or identity without their consent constitutes a crime. In fact, in 2022, a store owner in Incheon was fined for defamation after posting a photo of a child suspected of theft at an unmanned store.

Ms. A's father appealed, "When I look at my daughter's last text messages, I can't even imagine the fear she must have felt," adding, "Her entire life was destroyed due to the illegal distribution."

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