They break in like occupiers, steal, drink...Unmanned Store 'The Age of Suffering'

[Anchor]
Recently, unmanned ice cream shops as well as unmanned cafes and stationery stores are expanding to various industries.

However, there seems to be a need for countermeasures as damage such as theft crimes and unauthorized use of facilities against them continues.

Reporter Kim Yi-young reports.

[Reporter]
Two people wearing hats shake off the cashier of an unmanned store.

In an instant, I ran away with 600,000 won in cash.

[Avoid store owner: He looked like a high school student, but I don't think he's used to it once or twice.... They took 1,000 won, the money they sold, and even the change of 100 won like this.]

In another unmanned store, a female student chooses snacks and ice cream full of both hands, pays for just one snack, and takes all the other snacks.

[Closing shop owner: Make sure to sweep it like that before you go to school. I saw it at that time, and the number of times was about 5 times. I contacted the school, and I came to the head of the student department....]

Last year, the number of thefts at unmanned stores nearly doubled compared to the previous year.

Most of them are small thefts and there are many juvenile crimes, so even if you report them, the investigation is often slow.

You can also bring outside food to an unmanned cafe or charge an electric kickboard.

If I used electricity for three or four hours, I was burdened and worried about fire, so I even posted a warning, but it was useless.

[Unmanned cafe owner: Some people charge kickboards secretly at night, charge them for four to five hours at night, and take them out secretly. Some people just come and sleep because the air conditioner is on.]

As damage continues, such as theft and unauthorized use or damage of facilities, the need for store owners to strengthen their crime prevention measures has increased.

[Lee Yun-ho / Professor of Police Department at Korea Cyber University: Let's make it accessible only when we are fully identified, and when we leave, the door will not open unless it is fully calculated....]

It seems urgent to come up with measures to prevent more than 100,000 unmanned stores nationwide from becoming crime blind spots.

I'm YTN's Kim Lee Young.