An unmanned convenience store is seen in this file photo. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Cases of theft at unmanned stores jumped last year with the crimes committed primarily by teenagers.
S-1 Corp., a security subsidiary of Samsung Group, analyzed big data from unmanned stores between January 2020 to June 2022, which showed that the number of thefts at these stores jumped by 85.7 percent from 2020 to 2021.
The perpetrators were mostly teenagers (34.8 percent). Thefts were most common on Saturdays and Sundays (43.4 percent) and between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. (39.1 percent).
“Unmanned stores are turning into hideouts among local teenagers, resulting in a higher rate of theft,” S-1 said. “Unlike other stores, unmanned vendors receive few customers in the morning, during which theft takes place.”
Among the incidences of theft reported, doll drawing machines were subject to 36 percent of the total, followed by coin photo booths (22 percent) and coin laundromats (17 percent).
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
