Sold Even 'This' Amid Record-High Prices... Criminal Proceeds Amount to Tens of Millions of Won

A group that traveled across the country removing copper nameplates from bridges and selling them to scrap dealers has been apprehended by the police. Investigations revealed that they had accumulated criminal proceeds amounting to tens of millions of won.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Samcheok Police Station in Gangwon Province announced on April 15 that it had arrested a group, including Mr. A and Mr. B in their 30s, on charges of special theft. They are accused of stealing copper plates installed on bridges nationwide and selling them. The crimes were committed from March 21 to April 4, and the criminal proceeds amounted to approximately 20 million won.

Copper plates stolen by Mr. A and Mr. B from bridges nationwide. Samcheok Police Station, Gangwon Province.

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The locations where they stole copper plates spanned 22 cities and counties, including Icheon, Yeoju, and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province; Inje, Samcheok, Hongcheon, Hoengseong, Hwacheon, Yanggu, Chuncheon, Jeongseon, and Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province; Danyang, Jecheon, Eumseong, Boeun, and Goesan in North Chungcheong Province; Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province; and Mungyeong, Andong, Yeongyang, and Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang Province. They stole 205 copper plates from about 120 bridges and an additional 211 bridge description signs from 123 bridges. The total weight of the stolen copper plates was 1,910 kilograms.

The police began investigating after receiving a report on April 3 about a missing bridge nameplate in the Samcheok area. By analyzing CCTV footage and tracking the suspects’ movements, the police were able to confirm their crimes. On April 8, the police arrested Mr. A and Mr. B at their residences in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon, respectively.

The investigation also confirmed that the stolen copper plates were distributed from scrap dealers to smelting factories. The police traced the related transactions and confiscated all of the stolen items.

The suspects, both former insurance planners, stated during the police investigation that they committed the crimes because of the recent rise in copper prices. The price of copper had soared to a record high of $14,000 per ton (about 20.6 million won) on the London Metal Exchange as of January this year.

The cost of restoring the damage is expected to be substantial. Even if the copper plates are replaced with stone, it would cost 1 to 2 million won per plate. It is estimated that it will cost about 100 million won to restore the 47 plates lost in Samcheok alone.

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