Court gives heavier punishment than requested, saying defendant broke mutual trust in society
A man who stole an unguarded package at an apartment complex has been slapped with a 1 million won ($750) fine, as the court reprimanded the defendant for violating an unspoken societal rule in Korea to not take other people's delivered objects.
The Gwangju District Court on Oct. 15 convicted the defendant for stealing a package carrying about 100,000 won of items. The package was placed at a designated spot for the residents of the apartment in Gwangju.
The punishment was higher than the 700,000 won requested by the prosecution when it summarily indicted the defendant. While the offense itself is minor and the stolen objects were returned to the owner, the court said a heavier punishment is necessary because of what the theft symbolizes
"It is an unspoken rule of society to not touch the packages in front of a door, joint entrance or the security guard's office if they don't belong to you. This trust allows many people to use the package service without concern," the court said in its ruling.
"By taking another person's package, the defendant bore a hole in that social trust."
The court added that the defendant had not been forgiven by the victim. It is unusual for such minor crimes committed to receive a heavier punishment than requested by the prosecution.
Package delivery in Korea is customarily delivered to one's doorstep or in a designated area in case of joint residence. This is also true in the case of food delivery, where the delivery worker usually leaves the food at the doorstep and notifies the customer via text or related application.
Despite minimal or no security, theft related to unattended packages is rare in Korea, due to the unspoken rule cited by the court.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
