Police have helped a man in his 40s who stole food out of extreme hunger by connecting him with welfare support to help him stand on his own feet.

According to the Chuncheon Police Station in Gangwon Province on the 14th, a man in his 40s, A, was emergency arrested on charges of stealing two packages of potato rice cakes from an outdoor freezer at a market in Chuncheon at 3:55 a.m. on the 7th.

During the investigation, police learned that A had spent an unhappy childhood due to his parents' divorce and had been wandering around the country without a family or a fixed residence, living in abandoned buildings and other makeshift shelters.

Investigations showed that A, who was still leading a nomadic lifestyle at the time of the crime, stole the two bags of frozen potato rice cakes because he could no longer endure the hunger.

Upon learning of A's difficult circumstances, detectives from the Violent Crimes Team 2 of the Criminal Investigation Division released him the following day after completing the investigation and initiated welfare support efforts.

The Chuncheon Police consulted with a welfare officer at the administrative welfare center and a welfare worker from a Chuncheon shelter for the homeless, helping A apply for emergency living assistance and arranging for him to enter a rehabilitation facility for the homeless in Wonju.

A plans to prepare for self-sufficiency at the facility by receiving job placement assistance and support for obtaining certifications.

Inspector Park and Senior Patrol Officer Park also handed out 70,000 won of their own money to A to cover his travel expenses.

(Photo: Yonhap News)