In a shocking case from Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, a man was caught on a home security camera breaking into a woman’s apartment three times and stealing her underwear. Despite crystal-clear footage and his eventual arrest, the court released him, citing "no risk of repeat offense."
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| Korean Man Caught Stealing Woman’s Underwear on Home Camera |
On June 13, JTBC’s “Incident Room” reported disturbing footage submitted by a victim in her 20s. The woman, identified as Ms. X, lives alone on the third floor of an apartment building in Andong. She told reporters:
“Around 1 AM on May 27, an unknown man broke into my home through the balcony and stole my underwear.”
The home security camera recorded the entire incident. The man was seen climbing over the balcony, rifling through drawers, pulling out underwear, and even sniffing it before leaving.
The intruder didn’t just break in once. According to Ms. X:
“He actually entered and exited my home three times through the balcony, and he stayed inside until just three minutes before I got home.”
After reviewing the footage, Ms. X immediately reported the incident to the Andong police, who later confirmed they had arrested the man. Shockingly, the suspect turned out to be a resident of the apartment building right behind hers.
While the man was initially detained, the court denied the arrest warrant and released him. Ms. X expressed frustration:
“The police applied for a detention warrant, but it was denied because the court said he was a first-time offender with no risk of repeating the crime.”
Legal expert Attorney Park Ji-hoon criticized the decision:
“This seems like a mechanical decision by the court. In such cases, the court should carefully review the home cam evidence and consider the victim’s safety. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen here.”
The case has sparked online outrage and renewed calls for stricter penalties for sex crimes, especially when backed by clear video evidence. Many netizens are questioning why someone caught on camera committing a breaking and entering sex-related crime would be allowed to walk free.
Learn Korean Through This News
Korean Text:
“여성의 집에 침입해 속옷을 훔쳐 간 여성이 경찰에 체포됐으나 법원이 영장을 기각한 사연이 전해졌다.”
Key Vocabulary:
- 여성 – woman
- 집 – house
- 침입하다 – to break into, trespass
- 속옷 – underwear
- 훔치다 – to steal
- 경찰 – police
- 체포되다 – to be arrested
- 법원 – court
- 영장 – (arrest/search) warrant
- 기각하다 – to dismiss, to reject
- 사연 – story, incident (often used in news reporting or narratives)
- 전해지다 – to be reported, to be conveyed
Grammar Notes:
- ~에 침입하다: to break into (a location), 예: 여성의 집에 침입해 = broke into a woman’s house
- ~을/를 훔쳐 가다: to steal and take away, 예: 속옷을 훔쳐 간 = stole the underwear
- ~았/었으나: contrastive conjunction meaning "but" or "however", 예: 체포됐으나 = was arrested, but...
- ~한 사연이 전해지다: a story was conveyed/reported, common news-style phrase to refer to a reported incident
Translation:
A man who broke into woman’s house and stole underwear was arrested by the police, but the court rejected the warrant request, according to reports.
References: daum news, nate news, mt news, jtbc 사건반장
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