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Jeonju prosecutors to hold citizens' committee over 'Choco Pie theft case'

Published: 08 Oct. 2025, 17:41

An image of a Choco Pie [JOONGANG ILBO]

JEONJU, North Jeolla — Prosecutors in Jeonju will hold a citizens' committee after the Chuseok holidays to hear the public's opinion on the so-called “Choco Pie theft case,” in which a man was prosecuted over snacks worth 1,050 won (70 cents). The committee will convene before the second appellate hearing on Oct. 30 to consider whether the defendant should be granted leniency, such as a suspended sentence.

Introduced in 2010, the Citizen Prosecutor Committee (translated) is a nonbinding consultation body that reviews the appropriateness of prosecutorial actions — such as filing charges or dropping cases — in incidents drawing significant public attention. While its decisions are not legally binding, prosecutors take its findings into account during investigations and trials.

The so-called Choco Pie case is one of the most controversial legal cases in Korea involving a security guard. The security guard was in charge of site surveillance for a logistics company subcontractor, and he was found guilty of theft after eating a 450-won Choco Pie and a 600-won custard snack from a refrigerator inside the company’s Wanju County office at around 4:06 a.m. on Jan. 18 of last year. He was fined 50,000 won in the first trial and is currently contesting the verdict in an appeals court.

The case has drawn criticism, particularly from labor circles, with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions calling it “a persecution of labor unions.” But according to the legal circle, the defendant's prior criminal record may change the outcome of the citizens' committee.

In a separate 2019 case, the defendant was granted a suspended sentence for stealing a smartphone worth 1.4 million won from a nightclub table in Jeonju. The court took into account that he had confessed, shown remorse and settled with the victim by paying 3 million won — more than double the phone’s value — and had no history of serious criminal punishment.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a press conference urging the court to declare the so-called "Choco Pie theft case" not guilty on Sept. 30 in front of the North Jeolla provincial government building in Jeonju, North Jeolla. [YONHAP]

Around that time, he was also fined 500,000 won for driving a police van about 20 meters while intoxicated, thinking it was his own vehicle. Prosecutors charged him with unauthorized use of a vehicle and drunk driving — separate offenses from theft, since there was no intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property.

Unlike the phone theft case, the security guard denies wrongdoing in the Choco Pie incident. He claims he had been told by delivery drivers that he was free to eat the snacks in the office fridge. No settlement was reached in the case. A logistics company official who reported the theft said, “Is it right for someone in charge of security to leave their post, enter another office and help themselves to someone else’s property?” The official insisted on prosecution.

Prosecutors initially sought a 50,000-won summary fine, but the defendant requested a full trial — a move widely seen as an attempt to avoid termination. Under Korea’s Private Security Services Act, a theft conviction can lead to dismissal from a security position.

In May, the Jeonju District Court found him guilty, saying, “A general practice does not automatically equate to permission.” At the first appellate hearing on Sept. 18, the judge commented that “it feels harsh that it’s come to this,” but added that the court would still evaluate whether the legal definition of theft was met.

The defendant has reportedly spent over 10 million won on legal fees.

The Jeonju District Court building on Sept. 26 [YONHAP]

The North Jeolla chapter of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference on Sept. 30 outside the provincial government office, urging the court to acquit him and arguing that “this incident should not qualify as theft.”

The union submitted written testimony from dozens of other security workers, saying that more than half of them had intermittently consumed pantry snacks with the company's understanding for over a decade. The court in the first trial rejected this and treated the matter as a simple theft case — branding the defendant a petty criminal, the union said.

They also pointed to early recordings of conversations between the defendant and the complainant. One clip reportedly includes a logistics official saying they initially intended to issue a warning, but “things got out of hand.” The official also acknowledged that other guards had been caught on CCTV doing the same thing. Yet only this one person was singled out and reported — a move the union suspects was intended to weaken union activity.

Jeonju District Prosecutor Shin Dae-kyeong told reporters on Sept. 22, “We’re not only looking at the case itself but also the circumstances behind it.” He added that while the indictment could not be withdrawn during the appeals process, prosecutors would consider all factors when making their final sentencing recommendation.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JUN-HEE [[email protected]]