"I Can't Even Remember How Many Times"... Thief Targeting Cars with Side Mirrors Not Folded In

50-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Cars with Side Mirrors Unfolded
Police Warn "Vehicle Theft Targeted... Caution Needed"

A man in his 50s who stole valuables by targeting vehicles with unfolded side mirrors, indicating that the car doors were open, while roaming around an apartment underground parking lot was sentenced to prison.

It is known that the man stated in court, "I have stolen from over 100 vehicles, but I don't even remember all of them."

On the 8th, Chief Judge Park Hyunjin of the Criminal Division 2, Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court announced that A (51), who was indicted and detained on theft charges, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

A was charged with stealing a total of 14.64 million KRW in 10 instances, including opening the door of a foreign car that was not locked and stealing 190,000 KRW in cash from a storage compartment in an underground parking lot of an apartment in Wonju City around 1:30 a.m. on March 19 last year.

A was previously sentenced to 6 months in prison for theft and was released in May 2021, but was found to have committed similar crimes again. A targeted vehicles with unfolded side mirrors, assuming that the car doors were not locked, and searched for targets in apartment parking lots and other places.

Chief Judge Park stated, "The defendant committed the crimes during the recidivism period and testified that he committed so many crimes that he cannot even remember them," and "considering that he has no intention or means to compensate for the damages, the sentence was decided."

Vehicles with side mirrors that were not folded, or cars parked with windows open during hot summer weather, are known to be highly likely targets for theft.

While some vehicle owners forget to lock their doors when getting out, recently, many leave their doors unlocked for mobile car washing services.

In May, a man in his 30s was caught by the police after stealing about 8 million KRW in valuables over 20 instances by breaking car windows or targeting cars with unfolded side mirrors in areas such as Jeonju, Iksan, and Changwon.

A police official stated, "Most vehicle theft crimes involve inserting tools through open window gaps to unlock doors, or targeting vehicles that appear to have open doors due to side mirrors not being folded."

He added, "Vehicle theft crimes can be easily prevented with a little caution," and urged, "When parking and leaving your vehicle, always check that the side mirrors are folded and do not leave valuables inside the car that could become targets."

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