An unmanned convenience store is seen in this file photo. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Crimes targeting unmanned stores, which have increased in number during the pandemic, are on the rise.
According to a report from the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, 1,640 cases of crimes were committed against unmanned stores in Seoul over a 17-month period, starting in September 2020, averaging 96 per month.
Theft constituted 84 percent of all crimes, with the illegal use of stolen or lost credit cards, embezzlement of lost articles, and property damage following as the next prevalent offenses.
When categorized by business type, unmanned ice cream/snack shops (61 percent) and convenience stores (26 percent) were found to be the most susceptible to these crimes.
Out of 157 cases disclosing the ages of the offenders, 57.3 percent were teenagers, while 16.6 percent were in their 20s.
“The frequency of reporting these crimes is notably lower when the perpetrators are juveniles, seniors, or foreigners,” the research team said.
“The underreporting hampers authorities’ ability to determine the true scale of crimes targeting unmanned stores.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
