This Time at a Bucheon Hof... Another 'Meoktwi' Incident Occurs

Seven Men Estimated in Their 50s Order Beer and Snacks Worth 120,000 Won
Police Collect Empty Bottles for Fingerprint Analysis and Review CCTV Footage

Amid the recent frequent 'meoktwi' incidents, the police have launched an investigation into a meoktwi case that occurred on the 7th at a hof pub in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Amid frequent incidents of so-called "eating and running," where customers order food and leave without paying, a similar case occurred at a hof in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, prompting the police to launch an investigation.

On the 8th, the Bucheon Sosa Police Station announced that they had received a report about the incident that occurred the previous day and had begun an investigation.

The owner of the hof who reported the incident said, "Around 11 p.m. on the 7th, seven men appearing to be in their 50s ordered beer and side dishes worth 122,000 won at an outdoor table and then disappeared without paying." Additionally, they reportedly committed acts of sexual harassment against a part-time worker. The police collected beer bottles for fingerprint analysis to identify the suspects and secured nearby CCTV footage to track their movements. A police official stated, "It appears they deliberately dined and dashed," adding, "We will conduct a thorough investigation and apprehend them."

Earlier, on the 5th, a sashimi restaurant owner who had been a victim of "eating and running" sent a warning to the perpetrators, saying, "If you do not turn yourselves in, we will reveal your faces," and later received payment. A person identified as A, a friend of the sashimi restaurant owner in Asan, Chungnam, who was victimized on the 19th of last month, posted a message titled "I really want to catch them. Eating and running is too much" on an online community on the 5th.

According to A, a group of six people?five men and one woman?sat at an outdoor table and ordered sashimi, beer, soju, and other food worth 220,000 won before leaving one by one. Some of the group arrived in luxury cars. In the post, A expressed frustration, saying, "I reported it to the police, but since they are not locals and do not answer calls or respond, they say they cannot catch them." Along with the post, A uploaded CCTV footage and issued a final warning: "If you do not come forward and turn yourselves in, I will remove the mosaic and post your faces. Your faces are clearly visible. If you recognize yourself among them, please surrender."

Subsequently, A shared the news that "after a phone call, the money was deposited." In an interview with Channel A on the 8th, A said, "I got their contact information and called them, and they transferred the money," adding, "They seemed to have done it while drunk. They only apologized." It is known that A only received the payment for the food and did not proceed with a formal complaint.

Meanwhile, on the 4th, the owner of a gopchang restaurant in Byeollae-dong, Namyangju, who had previously suffered from a family-related eating and running incident, posted on an online community that they had been victimized a second time. The owner said, "I am really angry. In June, three family members came and ran off without paying, but I did not report it because I thought they were locals," adding, "But today, three elderly people in their 60s ate food worth 86,000 won, and one of them came to the register but seemed to put the card back and leave, perhaps because the staff were busy." The owner said, "This time, I could not let it go and ended up reporting it to the police," and appealed, "If you see this post, please come and just pay. Life is hard."

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