Man with Developmental Disability Acquitted of Snack Theft After 1.5-Year Trial
A 38-year-old man with a severe developmental disability, identified as Kim Young-sik, has been acquitted of theft charges after a year and a half of legal proceedings. The case stemmed from three instances where Kim consumed snacks totaling 2,500 won (approximately $1.85) from an unmanned store without paying. The incidents, captured on CCTV, showed Kim opening and eating snacks while his personal support worker was momentarily distracted. Despite his IQ of 31, indicating the intellectual capacity of a 4-to-5-year-old, police forwarded the case for theft after a settlement could not be reached with the store owner. The prosecution initially sought a 100,000-won fine through a summary indictment, which Kim's family appealed, leading to a formal trial. The first-instance court delivered a not-guilty verdict, ruling that Kim lacked the capacity to make a decision requiring payment and that his actions did not constitute typical theft. The prosecution decided against appealing the verdict, finalizing the acqu...
