Thread by @koryodynasty

1/ A Korean security guard has been acquitted on appeal after nearly 2 years of prosecution for eating a Choco Pie and custard cake worth less than $1 from an office fridge during night shift.

39 colleagues testified they'd done same for decades without issue.

2/ The incident took place at 4am on 18 Jan 2024 when a 41-year-old security guard at a logistics facility in Wanju County took the snacks during his patrol rounds. The company manager spotted it on CCTV and reported him to police for theft. yna.co.kr/view/AKR202511…

3/ The guard worked for a subcontractor at a Hyundai Motor supply chain facility. He'd been doing security work for 15 years without problems. The total value of the "stolen" items was 1,050 won ($0.72). hani.co.kr/arti/area/hona…

4/ Context that emerged later: For over a decade, delivery drivers arriving for early shifts would tell security guards to help themselves to office snacks as a gesture of goodwill. This was apparently routine workplace practice. hani.co.kr/arti/area/hona…

5/ Under South Korea's Security Services Industry Act, a theft conviction would have cost him his job. So despite prosecutors initially seeking 500,000 won fine, he requested a formal trial to clear his name.

6/ First trial verdict in May 2025 found him guilty, imposing a reduced fine of 50,000 won. The judge said the guard should have known delivery drivers lacked authority to grant permission.

Public outrage followed immediately. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN202509…

7/ Media dubbed him "a modern-day Jean Valjean." Social media erupted over prosecuting someone for 1,050 won. Critics saw it as criminalising workplace customs and targeting vulnerable subcontracted workers.

8/ In October, lawmakers grilled court officials during committee hearings. One held up a sign showing the snack prices, asking "Are we really holding trials over eating one of these?"

9/ Faced with mounting criticism, prosecutors performed an extraordinary U-turn. They convened a citizen committee to review the case, then requested a suspended sentence at appeal instead of defending their original position. en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN202510…

10/ Unionists suspected ulterior motives: CCTV showed multiple workers had done the same thing, but only their member was prosecuted. This came after tensions between labour union and security subcontractors. hani.co.kr/arti/area/hona…

11/ During the appeal, 39 security colleagues submitted statements confirming they'd eaten from the same fridge during night shifts, risking prosecution themselves to support him. A delivery driver testified about the long-standing custom. chosun.com/national/court…

12/ The guard, through his union, expressed relief at clearing his and his colleagues' names, noting the "decades-old mutual courtesy" was suddenly criminalised.

He can now continue working without a criminal record. yna.co.kr/view/AKR202511…

13/ Prosecutors say they'll review the full judgement before deciding whether to appeal to the Supreme Court. yna.co.kr/view/AKR202511…