Former Three-Term National Assembly Member Accused of Stealing 30,000 Won Worth of Clothing, Cleared of Charges

Department store. The photo is not related to any specific part of the article. /Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A former three-term National Assembly member who was investigated by the police last month on suspicion of stealing clothes from a department store clothing shop has been cleared of charges.

On the 29th, according to the investigative authorities, the Ansan Danwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province decided not to prosecute Ms. A (in her 60s, female), who was criminally booked on theft charges. After reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and shopping records, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence of theft.

Earlier, Ms. A was investigated on suspicion of stealing one T-shirt worth about 30,000 KRW from a clothing store in a department store in Danwon-gu, Ansan City, around 7:25 p.m. on the 24th of last month.

At the time, Ms. A was caught by staff when an alarm sounded at the entrance as she was leaving with shopping bags containing about 300,000 KRW worth of clothes she had purchased from the store.

The investigation revealed that the alarm was triggered because the store staff had not removed the anti-theft tags from some of the clothing items that Ms. A had properly paid for before placing them in the shopping bag.

However, it was reported that Ms. A had placed the T-shirt worth about 30,000 KRW, which was properly paid for, in a different store’s shopping bag rather than in the same shopping bag as the other clothes during the shopping process. This T-shirt did not have an anti-theft tag attached because it was priced under 40,000 KRW.

The police thoroughly examined the store’s CCTV and shopping records to determine whether Ms. A’s actions were intentional, but concluded that it was difficult to hold her accountable and decided not to prosecute. Ms. A is known to have consistently denied the theft charges during the investigation.

A police official said, "We cannot disclose detailed investigation information," but confirmed, "It is true that a decision not to prosecute was made."

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