'Corona Jangbaljang' Who Stole Eggs Due to Financial Hardship Sentenced to Minimum Prison Term of 1 Year

Court: "Nine prior convictions of the same kind... Imprisonment sentence unavoidable"

A man in his 40s, known as the so-called 'Corona Jean Valjean,' who was charged with stealing a carton of eggs from a goshiwon in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, after losing his job due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, was sentenced to imprisonment with the minimum sentence. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The so-called 'Corona Jean Valjean,' who was prosecuted for stealing a carton of eggs after suffering financial hardship due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), was sentenced to the minimum prison term.

The Criminal Division 12 of Suwon District Court (Chief Judge Park Jeongje) sentenced A (47) to one year in prison on the 15th for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (theft).

The court stated, "The defendant has nine prior convictions of the same kind and committed this crime by trespassing on another person's building during the recidivism period. Even considering the circumstances that he committed the crime due to financial hardship amid difficulties finding a job because of COVID-19, a prison sentence is inevitable."

It added, "There are reasons to consider that the defendant is reflecting on his wrongdoing and pledges not to commit crimes in the future, and that he committed the crime due to financial hardship after losing his job and struggling to find employment because of COVID-19," explaining the sentencing rationale.

A is accused of entering a goshiwon in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in the early morning of March 23 and stealing a carton of eggs.

Earlier, he was non-custodially indicted in May last year on charges of violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act and embezzlement for lending his bank account to a voice phishing criminal organization and embezzling 5.5 million won deposited into that account.

A did not appear in court but was confirmed to have committed egg theft in February this year while a warrant for his arrest was issued after being sentenced to one year in prison.

A told the police that he committed the theft after losing his job as a construction site cleaner due to the spread of COVID-19, which cut off his living expenses and caused free meal centers to close.

As the case became known through media reports, A was also called the 'Corona Jean Valjean.'

Meanwhile, the special law applied by the prosecution to A stipulates that a person who has been sentenced to imprisonment three or more times for theft-related crimes and commits theft again shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two years and not more than twenty years. There is no provision for fines.

However, the court sentenced A to one year in prison through 'mitigation of punishment,' which allows judges discretion to reduce the sentence by up to half.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.