Golden opportunity? Police seek arrest warrant for university student who tried to snatch $109,000 of gold from vendor.
Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 16:48
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- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![A police logo [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/25/4a52a51d-9dcf-4be5-b1f2-cd5fb857e938.jpg)
A police logo [JOONGANG ILBO]
A university student tried to snatch 22 small gold bars during a street market sale arranged through a secondhand trading site on Monday, prompting police in Siheung, Gyeonggi, to seek an arrest warrant.
The would-be buyer met a gold shop owner around 6:50 p.m. The owner had brought the bars — each 10 grams and worth a total of about 160 million won ($109,000). As soon as the bars were shown, the man grabbed them and ran, police said.
The owner chased him down within moments. During the struggle, the suspect punched the owner in the face. Bystanders saw the fight and alerted police, who detained the man at the scene.
The shop owner had recently opened his business and had used the online marketplace to promote direct sales.
“I needed money and tried to steal the gold,” the man told investigators. “I thought I could get away if I ran fast.”
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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