Thieves Twice Distress Wildfire Victims... "We Tried to Clean Up"

Since the wildfire that occurred on the 11th in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, thefts of items from the affected areas have been rampant.

According to Gangwon Yeongdong MBC on the 18th, a scuffle broke out between a stranger and a pension employee at a pension that was burned down to its frame due to the wildfire. The man was caught by the pension employee while trying to secretly take a chair that was still intact from the pension.

Gangneung City and Gangneung Police Station are attracting attention by posting banners in various locations on the 20th, urging people other than village residents to refrain from entering the wildfire-affected areas to prevent theft.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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The car the man arrived in was filled with items such as women's bags, kimchi containers, and daily necessities, all of unknown owners. The man caught at the scene explained to the police, "I was trying to remove a chair that seemed unnecessary at the pension."

The responding police officer warned, "Even if you had good intentions, you need to get permission from the people here," but was unable to take further action. Since there was no theft report regarding the items in the car, they had no choice but to release him.

At another pension, a barbecue grill was also stolen. The owner of that pension lamented, "This is too much. There was a fire, and they even took things like this to sell as scrap metal?" One affected evacuee said, "There are many footprints of people who have come and gone. They open the doors, look around, and take items."

The media reported, "Even while the reporters were staying in the affected area, suspicious people kept coming." When asked by the reporters, one visitor responded, "I came to see the wildfire damage," and "I'm busy," before leaving the scene.

Meanwhile, as reports of damage caused by thieves continued, the Gangneung Police Station tripled the number of patrol officers from about 20 to 60 and increased patrol vehicles from 3 to 6, strengthening 24-hour patrols around the wildfire-affected areas.

Currently, about 30 banners are hung throughout the area, urging people other than residents to refrain from entering the wildfire-affected zones, and the residents' request to install a 'police line' is being accepted, with the installation of order-maintaining lines underway.

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