"Not a Real Lease Agreement"... Man in His 50s Repeatedly Entered Someone Else’s Home and Stole Items

Checked Out Lease Listings Due to Lack of Residence
Entered the Home Nine Times and Stole Items Including Clothes

A man in his 50s who pretended to be interested in signing a lease agreement, checked out properties, repeatedly entered someone else’s home, and even stole items, has been sentenced to prison.

According to Yonhap News on the 13th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Song Jonghwan) sentenced Mr. A (58), who was indicted on charges of theft, property damage, trespassing, and assault, to one year in prison.

Chuncheon District Court Building Exterior

Mr. A was charged with breaking a security window with a frying pan near Mr. B’s home in Seoul on September 8 last year and unlawfully entering Mr. B’s home on nine occasions until September 11 of the same year. Without a place to stay, Mr. A pretended at a real estate agency office to be interested in signing a lease agreement, checked out available properties, and then targeted Mr. B’s home for these crimes. On September 11 of the same year, Mr. A also stole items worth 730,000 won, including a hiking backpack and clothes, when leaving Mr. B’s home.

Previously, on September 5 last year, Mr. A, while intoxicated, ran into the road and blocked a passenger car driven by Mr. C. When Mr. C honked the horn, Mr. A, in anger, struck the car’s hood with his hand and tried to break the side mirror, but failed. During the trial, it was also revealed that when Mr. C got out of the car and strongly protested, Mr. A pushed him several times and, as Mr. C chased after him to report to the police, Mr. A struck Mr. C’s neck and threatened to punch him, among other acts of assault.

Two days later, on September 7 last year, Mr. A, again intoxicated, started an argument with a construction worker, claiming the construction was too noisy. When the worker tried to stop him, Mr. A grabbed the worker by the collar and shook him, committing assault. Around the same time, at a mobile phone store in Seoul, Mr. A took advantage of a moment when the staff was distracted and took a dummy phone worth 25,000 won. He also insulted a passerby holding a dog by swearing and saying, “You smell like a dog, get lost,” which was included in the indictment.

The court stated, “Not only were there multiple victims as a result of each of these crimes, but all of the offenses occurred during the repeat offender period. In addition, most of the victims have not been compensated for their damages, and except for the trespassing charge, Mr. A has previous convictions for similar offenses. These factors were taken into account in determining the sentence.”