Logistics worker gets 3.5 years in appeal for stealing 971 electronics worth W920m

A man in his 40s who stole 920 million won ($673,000) worth of high-end electronics from an online shopping logistics center over two years has been sentenced to prison in his appeal.

The Chuncheon District Court's Criminal Division 1-3, presided over by Judge Heo Il-seung, upheld the original sentence of three years and six months in prison for the defendant, identified only as A, 47, on theft charges, the court announced Saturday.

A is accused of stealing 971 electronic devices worth approximately 920 million won between October 2022 and December 2024.

He was responsible for transferring returned items deemed resalable to the inspection team. He exploited the nature of his job, which allowed him to move freely throughout the logistics center and access returned packages.

During the thefts, A concealed smartphones, laptops and other high-value electronics beneath the insoles of his work boots or tossed them out windows in blind spots of the closed-circuit television cameras.

The trial court sentenced him to three years and six months, citing the "very large amount of damage, the prolonged period of the crimes, and the underhanded methods used."

A appealed, arguing the sentence was too harsh, but the appellate court reached the same conclusion.

The appeals court found that A had sold the stolen goods through secondhand trading platforms and used a significant portion of the proceeds for gambling, and ruled that "the original sentencing was within a reasonable range of discretion."