"How Can You Punish Them?"—Person with Severe Developmental Disability Put on Trial for Eating 2,500 Won Worth of Snacks Is Ultimately Found Not Guilty

[Financial News] A person with a severe developmental disability and the intellectual functioning of a young child was put on trial for eating 2,500 won worth of snacks at an unmanned store and was found not guilty 18 months later.

According to an SBS report on the 1st, A, 38, ate two chocolate bars and one Choco Pie without paying on three occasions at an unmanned store in Yangcheon District, Seoul, in March last year. The total value was 2,500 won.
At the time, the store displayed a warning that read, "As a rule, we do not settle theft cases."
A's family explained the circumstances to the owner, but the owner refused to settle.
Even after confirming that A had a severe developmental disability and significantly below-average intellectual functioning, police referred the case to prosecutors on suspicion of theft.

Prosecutors indicted A through summary proceedings, seeking a fine of 100,000 won rather than deferred prosecution.
After a decision indicating guilt was issued, A's family challenged it and requested a formal trial.
A's father told SBS, "How can you punish them? It is a matter of accommodating them (people with disabilities), not punishing them."
On the 9th of last month, the first-instance court found A not guilty. The court ruled that the crime was not established because A, whose intellectual functioning was at the level of a 4- to 5-year-old child, lacked the ability to make the decision that payment was required.
Prosecutors waived their appeal immediately after the first-instance verdict, making the acquittal final.
In response, prosecutors gave SBS a general statement that they would take utmost care in handling cases involving people with disabilities.
[email protected] Kim Soo-yeon Reporter