A fire broke out in a commercial building in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, prompting the evacuation of over 130 people. Amid the chaos, a woman in her twenties was caught on CCTV stealing items from a convenience store inside the building, sparking controversy.
According to police and fire authorities, the fire started around 3:20 PM on August 2, and there were no reported injuries. The owner of the convenience store, identified as A, shared footage from the store's CCTV on social media, stating, "While people were evacuating outside, one woman entered the building alone. I repeatedly warned her not to go toward the fire, but she ignored me and went inside the store."
After the fire was extinguished, A reviewed the CCTV footage and found that the woman was placing items from the shelves into her bag. A noted, "She seemed to know exactly where the items were located," suggesting that she was likely a regular customer.
A reported the theft to the police and submitted the CCTV footage as evidence. The Gwanak Police are currently searching for the woman.
As the video circulated online, netizens reacted with comments such as, "To think of stealing during a fire," and "Thanks to her bold theft, her face is now well-known." Some recalled a recent incident involving a high school student in Kumamoto, Japan, who referred to a collapsed shopping mall as an opportunity to steal.
Netizens also drew parallels to the tragic collapse of the Sampoong Department Store on June 29, 1995, where a woman was photographed smiling while stealing clothes from the rubble, a moment that became known as the 'devil's smile.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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