Choco Pie theft divides South Korea, sparks debate over workplace trust and security
A security guard is contesting a fine for taking snacks from an office fridge, but the manager argues it was a serious breach of trust
A Choco Pie is at the centre of a workplace theft dispute.
The so-called “Choco Pie theft case” has turned into a heated legal and public debate, with a logistics company manager and a security guard clashing over whether a snack taken from an office refrigerator was theft or a long-standing workplace practice.
The incident occurred just after 4.00am on January 18 last year in the office of a logistics company in Wanju, North Jeolla Province. A security guard took a Choco Pie priced at 450 won (33 US cents) and another snack priced at 600 won from an office refrigerator.
The logistics company manager saw the scene through a CCTV feed linked to his phone and reported the security guard to the police for theft.
Prosecutors deemed the act met the legal criteria for theft but was minor in scale, indicting the security guard in a summary trial. The court fined him 50,000 won (US$35), but he appealed, arguing he should be acquitted to avoid losing his job. The first trial court upheld the fine, and the case is now before an appellate court.
