Prosecutors have demanded a prison sentence for a man in his 20s who stole 500 million won worth of jewelry from a store located inside a large supermarket.

During the sentencing hearing held today (Nov. 3) before Judge Lee Dong-ho of Criminal Division 3 at the Incheon District Court, prosecutors demanded a three-year prison term for Mr. A, who was indicted and detained on charges including nighttime intrusion and larceny of a building.

The prosecutor did not state any specific reasons for the sentencing recommendation during the hearing.

Appearing in court, Mr. A appealed in his final statement, saying, "I have returned all the stolen items and am confident that I will never commit such a crime again. I made a mistake and ask for leniency."

Mr. A's defense counsel also stated, "Mr. A has an IQ of 54, indicating a mild intellectual disability, and was evaluated as having difficulty with impulse control in situations involving emotional stimuli. Please take into consideration the fact that his cognitive and impulse-control abilities fall short of those of an average adult."

Mr. A was indicted and detained on charges of stealing 173 gold bracelets, consisting of 14K and 18K gold and valued at 500 million won, from a jewelry store on the second floor of the Homeplus Ganseok branch in Namdong-gu, Incheon, at around 2:00 a.m. on September 14.

He covered his face with a hooded raincoat and a mask, smashed the upper glass of the display case with a blunt object, and fled with the jewelry before being apprehended by police on a street in Seoul 12 hours after the crime.

Investigations showed that four days after being locked up in a holding cell, Mr. A attempted to escape when the door was briefly left open, but he was immediately restrained.

Prior to his pre-trial detention interrogation, he claimed that he needed money due to financial hardship, found the store through a portal site search, and acted alone.

(Photo provided by Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, Yonhap News)