A man in his 30s, who kissed a drunk foreign woman and then stole her expensive sunglasses and gold necklace, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The Seoul Western District Court sentenced the man, identified as Lee (33), to 8 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, after he was charged with stealing luxury sunglasses and a gold necklace from a drunken foreign woman.

The incident occurred last July in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where Lee approached a Moroccan woman, referred to as A, who was sitting on the stairs in a drunken state.

Lee cut off a gold necklace valued at 2.7 million KRW that A was wearing and took off her Nike sneakers, replacing them with slippers. He also stole a bag containing Prada sunglasses and an iPhone 12.

When police visited his home to conduct a search, Lee even showed the audacity to tear up the search warrant.

The court, while deeming Lee's actions to be of poor character, considered factors such as his acknowledgment of the crime, his remorse, the voluntary submission of some of the stolen goods, and the fact that he paid 3 million KRW as a criminal compensation for A after the conclusion of the trial. Consequently, he was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension, and also received 160 hours of community service.

However, as the victim A had traveled abroad, only part of the criminal compensation was taken into account.

This incident drew particular attention as it involved a crime targeting a foreign national who was intoxicated at night. Lee's act of tearing up the warrant during the police investigation was criticized as a disregard for the rule of law.

Such incidents raise awareness about safety issues faced by foreigners in South Korea, emphasizing the need for the legal system to respond stringently to such crimes.

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