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The Korea Times

Thefts at jewellery stores are on the rise in South Korea amid gold’s record-breaking rally, market watchers said on Thursday.
International gold prices recently surpassed US$5,300 per ounce for the first time, driven by weakening confidence in US dollar assets amid geopolitical tensions and recent remarks by US President Donald Trump advocating a weaker dollar.
Police reports of attempted gold thefts have risen sharply. The suspects tried to quickly convert the stolen items into cash, police added.
In Gwangju, police detained a teenager on Thursday after he posed as a customer and stole a gold bracelet worth 30 million won (US$20,984) from a jewellery store.
Last Friday, police in Daejeon booked a teenage boy for allegedly stealing gold bracelets worth about 8 million won from a jewellery store. Authorities are deciding whether to seek an arrest warrant.
This followed another case in Suwon, Gyeonggi province, on January 21, involving a middle school student who was detained for attempting to sell jewellery using a forged identity card.
Apart from teenagers, adults have also been involved. Last Friday, a man in his 30s was arrested for stealing jewellery worth 3.8 million won from two stores in Gwangju.
Earlier this month, a more serious incident occurred in Bucheon, Gyeonggi province, where a robbery at a jewellery store left the owner dead.
The suspect, a man in his 40s who allegedly stabbed and killed the owner, was arrested in Seoul about four and a half hours after the incident.
According to police, the suspect was found carrying about 10 million won in cash at the time of the arrest. The cash came from selling the stolen gold, police said.
He was arrested on charges of murder.
This story was first published by The Korea Times


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Teenagers and adults are stealing gold to convert it into cash, with one robbery turning fatal in Bucheon


Teenagers and adults are stealing gold to convert it into cash, with one robbery turning fatal in Bucheon.


Crime

Seoul

Jewellery store heists sweep South Korea amid soaring gold prices

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Teenagers and adults are stealing gold to convert it into cash, with one robbery turning fatal in Bucheon

Teenagers and adults are stealing gold to convert it into cash, with one robbery turning fatal in Bucheon