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Prosecutors mull over citizen review for 'Choco Pie theft' case

Published: 23 Sep. 2025, 15:41

Commercial Choco Pie products sold at stores nationwide in Korea are pictured in this file photo from 2015. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors are considering convening a citizen review committee before the second appellate hearing of a case in which a logistics worker was prosecuted for Korean snacks, a Choco Pie and Custard, worth 1,050 won (75 cents) from an office refrigerator.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday that it is "reviewing whether to convene the prosecutors’ citizen committee in connection with this case.”

The office added that because the next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30, there is enough time to weigh options.

The citizen committee system, introduced in 2010, aims to curb abuses of prosecutors’ exclusive right to indict and to enhance fairness and transparency. The committees usually review whether investigations, indictments or warrant requests are appropriate in cases that draw social attention.

The committee’s decisions are not legally binding. But prosecutors generally take the recommendations seriously and use them as a key reference in investigations and trials.

One notable precedent came in July 2020, when a convenience store worker was indicted for eating a 5,900 won pork dish after mistaking its expiration date.

The Seoul Central District Court acquitted the worker in the first trial. Prosecutors later dropped their appeal, saying they respected the citizen committee’s recommendation and took into account justice and fairness.

Shin Dae-kyung, the chief prosecutor at Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office, also told reporters Monday that the Choco Pie case and the pork case were similar, adding that prosecutors would “review what can be done within the bounds of common sense.”

The defendant in the Choco Pie case, a 41-year-old subcontractor employee at a logistics firm, was accused of stealing a 450-won Choco Pie and a 600-won Custard from a refrigerator at the main contractor’s office in Wanju County, North Jeolla, at 4:06 a.m. on Jan. 18, 2024. The company reported the worker to police for theft.

Police referred the case to prosecutors, who indicted the worker through summary proceedings with a 500,000 won fine, citing the small value of the goods. The defendant requested a formal trial, arguing innocence. The worker reportedly feared that a theft conviction could cost them their job.

On May 4, the trial court convicted the worker and imposed a 50,000 won fine. The defendant has appealed the ruling.

The case has since ignited public outcry. At the first hearing of the appeal trial on Thursday, the judge remarked, “How harsh. Do we really need to go this far?"

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]