“Thirty Lettuce Heads Stolen”: Surge in Urban Garden Crop Thefts Prompts Action from Violent Crimes Detectives

Rising Prices Seen as a Cause
Plans to Expand CCTV Coverage

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As incidents of crop theft continue at citizens' gardens throughout central Seoul, local district offices and the police have started to respond.

On the 18th, Yonhap News reported that the Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul received reports of repeated crop thefts at the Jungnangcheon Urban Agriculture Experience Center in Dongdaemun-gu, and has dispatched detectives from the violent crimes unit to launch an investigation.

According to the report, victims have expressed their frustration, saying that they lost crops they had carefully nurtured for months in an instant.

Ms. A, a woman in her 40s, discovered on the 15th that most of the 30 lettuce heads she had been growing in her garden had been pulled up by the roots. After waiting two years, she was finally allocated a plot of about 4.5 square meters this March and had been cultivating lettuce, peppers, and eggplant, but just before harvest, her crops were stolen.

Similar incidents have continued. Another citizen tending a garden nearby recently reported that all of their sesame seedlings were stolen.

As the number of incidents increased, even detectives from the violent crimes unit at Dongdaemun Police Station have been dispatched to the scene to investigate. However, tracking down the perpetrator has proven to be difficult.

This is because the garden covers a large area, is easily accessible due to its proximity to a walking trail, and lacks any security facilities. It is known that only one or two CCTVs installed on a nearby bridge are available to monitor the more than 900 garden plots.

An official from Dongdaemun District Office explained that the number of crop theft-related complaints has surged this year, with 5 to 10 cases reported in just the past month alone.

The district office has belatedly put up banners warning against theft and increased on-site patrols, while also requesting the police to expand patrols both day and night. The official added that additional CCTV installations are planned to be included in next year's budget.

There is also speculation that the surge in urban garden thefts may be linked to the recent sharp rise in food prices. It is analyzed that the prolonged Middle East war and rising international oil prices have increased the burden of food ingredient costs, and financial hardship is leading some to commit these crimes.

In fact, dozens of posts have been uploaded on online communities from people sharing their experiences of theft at weekend farms or urban gardens.

Experts emphasize that crop theft is an unequivocal crime. Under current law, stealing even a single lettuce leaf without permission constitutes theft, and if caught, the perpetrator could face up to six years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.

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