"How Dare You Film Me?" Taxi Driver Buries Surveillance Camera in the Ground

Driving Over the Speed Limit of 20km

A taxi driver who harbored resentment after being caught by a mobile speed enforcement camera installed on a Jung-sangan road in Jeju was arrested for stealing the camera and burying it in an orchard.

The police discovered a mobile camera buried by Mr. A in an orchard in Seogwipo City on the 21st.
[Photo by Jeju Seogwipo Police Station]

On the 23rd, the Seogwipo Police Station in Jeju arrested a taxi driver in his 50s, Mr. A, on theft charges.

Mr. A is accused of stealing one mobile speed enforcement camera worth 25 million KRW, along with an auxiliary battery and tripod worth 4.5 million KRW, installed 600 meters east of Unam Overpass on the Jung-sangan road in Seogwipo City, between 7:39 PM and 9:26 PM on the 12th. During the theft, Mr. A also damaged the unmanned booth.

The Jeju Autonomous Police Unit went to retrieve the camera the morning after the incident but discovered it was missing and reported it to the police.

The police, upon receiving the report, reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage around the crime scene and secured footage showing a white K5 taxi remaining at the scene for 22 minutes.

By comparing the vehicle captured on CCTV with 122 white K5 taxis registered in the Jeju area, the police were able to identify Mr. A as the suspect. Consequently, Mr. A was apprehended at an undisclosed location in Seogwipo City on the 19th.

Mr. A denied all charges upon arrest. At that time, the police failed to secure physical evidence such as the stolen camera at Mr. A’s residence and ultimately released him.

However, through forensic analysis of Mr. A’s mobile phone, the police discovered photos of an orchard taken at 7:30 AM on the 13th, the day after the crime. They also confirmed that Mr. A had stayed at his sister’s orchard for about an hour starting at 7:10 AM. Considering the possibility that Mr. A had hidden the camera in the orchard, the police searched the orchard on the 21st.

The police discovered a mobile camera buried by Mr. A in an orchard in Seogwipo City on the 21st. [Video provided by Jeju Seogwipo Police Station]

During the search, the police found disturbed soil and, after digging, discovered the mobile camera wrapped in plastic, which they seized.

Mr. A continued to deny the charges, stating, "I don’t know why the camera was buried in my sister’s orchard," and "I never went to the orchard."

As Mr. A persistently denied the crime, the police applied for an arrest warrant, which the court issued on the 22nd, citing concerns over flight risk and evidence tampering.

Given that Mr. A had repeatedly driven at speeds of 100 km/h in an 80 km/h speed limit zone, the police suspect that he committed the crime out of resentment toward the enforcement.

The police are continuing to investigate the detailed circumstances of the case.

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