Convenience Store's Top 5 Crimes Totaled 8,486 Cases Last Year... Theft and Murder on the Rise

33,863 Cases in the Last 4 Years... Annual Average of 8,466 Cases
Theft, Violence, Rape·Forced Molestation Ranked Highest
Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan "Need for Police Rapid Response and Prevention System"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Over the past four years, a total of 33,863 major crimes?including murder, robbery, rape/sexual assault, theft, and violence?have occurred at convenience stores, averaging 8,466 cases annually.

According to data obtained by Asia Economy on the 6th from the National Police Agency through the office of Oh Young-hwan, a member of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, 8,486 major crimes occurred at convenience stores last year. By type, there were 3 murders, 39 robberies, 230 cases of rape/sexual assault, 6,143 thefts, and 2,071 acts of violence.

By year, there were 8,045 cases in 2018, 8,659 in 2019, and 8,673 in 2020, with more than 8,000 major crimes occurring annually at convenience stores. Among these, theft accounted for 68.24%, violence 27.72%, rape/sexual assault 3.23%, robbery 0.77%, and murder 0.03% of the total.

In particular, theft has steadily increased each year: 5,169 cases in 2018, 5,853 in 2019, 5,944 in 2020, and 6,143 last year. Murders decreased from 4 cases in 2018 to 3 in 2019, then 1 in 2020, but rose again to 3 last year. Although the expansion of single-person households and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased consumer preference for nearby distribution channels, convenience stores have effectively become blind spots for crime.

The continuous rise in major crimes at convenience stores is attributed to the fact that anyone can freely access them 24 hours a day, and many stores have only one employee working during late-night hours. Additionally, since most convenience stores are located on the first floor, it is easy for perpetrators to escape after committing crimes, making them vulnerable targets.

Assemblyman Oh stated, "Convenience stores have become the first place men and women of all ages visit as they sell various items such as lunch boxes, but major crimes like murder and robbery occur at an average of 8,466 cases annually." He added, "Rapid police response and the establishment of a prevention system are absolutely necessary, and it seems urgent to install safe zones to protect employees until the police arrive."

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