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| Korean Elementary Students Caught Stealing ₩10M of Goods |
According to the shop owner, the group—students in 6th grade—frequented the store almost daily (excluding weekends) between March and April, making 40 to 50 visits in total. In each visit, they stole goods valued between ₩100,000 to ₩300,000. The total estimated loss is ₩10 million.
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| Korean Elementary Students Caught Stealing ₩10M of Goods |
Mr. A explained, “Because the daily loss was around ₩100,000 to ₩200,000, it wasn't immediately noticeable. I only realized the full scale of the issue around April 10.” He promptly reported the case to the police, and an investigation is currently ongoing.
This incident has sparked national debate over how South Korea should handle crimes committed by minors, especially in the context of the rapid rise of unmanned stores across the country. With no employees on site, these businesses are particularly vulnerable to shoplifting — and the legal system offers limited options when the perpetrators are underage.
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Korean Text:
“초등학교 6학년 아이들이 수개월 동안 무인 아이스크림 매장에서 상습적인 절도 행각을 벌인 사실이 드러났다. 피해 금액은 무려 1000만원에 달하는 것으로 알려졌다.”
Key Vocabulary:
- 초등학교 6학년 (cho-deung-hak-gyo yuk-hak-nyeon) – 6th-grade elementary school student
- 수개월 동안 (su-gae-wol dongan) – for several months
- 무인 매장 (mu-in mae-jang) – unmanned store (self-service, no staff)
- 아이스크림 매장 (a-i-seu-keu-rim mae-jang) – ice cream store
- 상습적 (sang-seup-jeok) – habitual / repeated
- 절도 (jeol-do) – theft
- 행각 (haeng-gak) – behavior / activity (often with negative connotation)
- 벌이다 (beol-i-da) – to carry out / to engage in (an activity)
- 피해 금액 (pi-hae geum-aek) – amount of damage/loss
- 무려 (mu-ryeo) – as much as (used to emphasize a large number)
- 달하다 (dal-ha-da) – to reach (a certain amount or level)
- ~으로 알려졌다 (~eu-ro al-lyeo-jyeot-da) – it is known that ~
Grammar Notes:
- ~을/를 벌이다 – to start or engage in (usually used for events, businesses, or negative actions): 절도 행각을 벌이다 → "engage in a series of thefts"
- 무려 + number – emphasizes that a number or amount is surprisingly high: 무려 1000만원 → "as much as 10 million won"
- ~에 달하다 – to amount to / to reach: 피해 금액은 1000만원에 달하다 → "the damage amounted to 10 million won"
Translation:
“It was revealed that 6th-grade elementary school students had been habitually stealing from an unmanned ice cream shop over several months. The total damage reportedly amounted to as much as 10 million won.”
Keywords
unmanned store theft Korea, Korean elementary school crime, ice cream store robbery, youth crime South Korea, CCTV unmanned shop, children stealing Korea, parent responsibility theft Korea, Suwon unmanned shop incident, underage theft Korea, 자율무인점포 절도 사건, JTBC 사건반장 뉴스, Korean news youth crime 2025