Strict outcome · Comparison Pair · Petty theft
Jobseeker imprisoned for stealing ten packs of instant noodles
Harm
10 ramen packs (~₩12,000)
Sentence
6m
Court
District Court
Guideline
—
Comparison thesis
Stealing ten ramen packs gets prison. Stealing ₩70 billion gets a suspended sentence.
Strict outcome · current case
6m
Short-term actual imprisonment
Jobseeker imprisoned for stealing ten packs of instant noodles
Low-income · Harm: 10 ramen packs (~₩12,000)
Lenient outcome
3y
3y prison, 5y suspension + community service & donation
Hyundai chairman: ₩70B embezzlement → suspended → pardoned
Chaebol family · Harm: ~₩70 billion
The Sentencing Commission's guidelines explicitly contemplate 'economic contribution' as mitigating for white-collar defendants — there is no equivalent mitigator for a hungry job-seeker.
Case summary
A young job-seeker who said he had not eaten in days stole ten packs of instant noodles from a convenience store. Because he had prior petty-theft records, the trial court rejected suspension and imposed a short period of actual imprisonment. The case became a national flashpoint about whether 'subsistence theft' (생계형 절도) deserved jail time.
Disparity flags
Sources
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