At around 3:00 a.m. on the 7th of this month, CCTV footage captured a man taking two packs of rice cakes from a refrigerator placed outside a rice cake shop near Dongbu Market in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.
Realizing that the rice cakes were missing, the owner of the shop immediately reported the incident to the police. Around 3:00 p.m., police apprehended a 49-year-old man, identified as A, at an abandoned building on charges of stealing the rice cakes.
During police interrogation, Mr. A stated, "I stole them because I was hungry."
According to the police investigation, Mr. A's parents divorced when he was seven years old, and he lost contact with his mother. His father was also found to be a person of unknown residence.
Since his twenties, he had made a living as a day laborer, moving from one construction site to another—including apartments and houses—through labor agencies.
However, as the construction economy deteriorated following COVID-19, jobs began to disappear one by one, and Mr. A eventually had to leave the studio apartment where he lived last April because he could not pay the rent.
Moving from one cheap inn to another with his remaining money, Mr. A began sleeping rough in an abandoned building starting last month.
He had to sustain most of his meals with buy-one-get-one-free ramyeon from convenience stores.
Although Mr. A even had his mobile phone service cut off, he searched for job applications wherever Wi-Fi was available and reportedly went to labor agencies in the early morning.
However, there were many days he came up empty-handed.
In fact, the day labor market in the Chuncheon region is facing severe difficulties for daily workers due to a decrease in available work and changes in how personnel are assigned.
In the past, people would gather at labor agencies starting at dawn and be assigned to sites on the spot, but as work decreased, assignments and attendance are now determined the day before, primarily focusing on established work teams through phone calls.
Upon learning of Mr. A's unfortunate story, the police concluded their investigation on the 8th and connected him with welfare officials at the Chuncheon City Administrative Welfare Center to apply for emergency livelihood support funds.
Additionally, to prevent Mr. A from returning to the streets, police arranged for him to enter a rehabilitation facility for the homeless in Wonju.
Currently, Mr. A is receiving room and board there while receiving support for vocational training and obtaining certificates.
Mr. A reportedly told the police, "If I just get a job, I will work hard and live diligently."
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
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