[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A Chinese man in his 30s who stole tens of millions of won worth of luxury clothing and other goods from department stores across Seoul has been sentenced to prison.

The Busan District Court's Criminal Division 7, presided over by Judge Jang Gi-seok, sentenced the man, identified only as A, a Chinese national in his 30s, to six months in prison on theft charges.

A was indicted on charges of stealing luxury clothing and other items worth about 28 million won ($19,700) across 20 separate incidents at department stores in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Jung-gu, Seoul, between Aug. 22 and Aug. 31 last year.

Investigators found that A exploited moments when store staff were not watching closely, stuffing displayed clothing into a bag before walking out.

At one department store in Yeongdeungpo-gu alone, he stole luxury clothing worth 21.26 million won across 16 incidents. At a department store in Jung-gu, he carried out four thefts, taking jackets, T-shirts and other items worth 6.77 million won.

The court said it considered that A had reached settlements with victims who suffered a combined 19 million won in losses and that those victims did not wish to see him punished further.


choigo@heraldcorp.com