Home > National > Social Affairs

Police apprehend man for stealing over 800 copper bridge nameplates

Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 10:22 Updated: 11 Mar. 2026, 16:56

[JOONGANG ILBO]

Police apprehended a man who allegedly removed hundreds of copper bridge nameplates from bridges and sold them to scrap dealers, as copper prices climb to record levels.

The Jangheung Police Precinct in South Jeolla booked the man without detention on suspicion of theft and plans to investigate the case, the precinct said Tuesday.

The man is accused of traveling across South Jeolla and North Jeolla for about a month, beginning in December last year, and stealing about 850 nameplates from 254 bridges.

The nameplates contain information such as a bridge’s name, height and the maximum weight it can support. The man committed the thefts by taking advantage of the fact that the plates could be easily removed with tools, according to police.

The man then sold the stolen nameplates to a scrap dealer in Gwangju and received about 40 million won ($27,200), police said.

The man reportedly told investigators he used the money for living expenses.

Police estimated that the total damage, including the cost of restoring the bridges to their original condition, could reach about 600 million won.

Authorities plan to refer the man to prosecutors. They are also investigating six people, including employees of the scrap dealer who purchased the nameplates, on suspicion of receiving stolen goods.

Crimes targeting copper have recently been increasing as copper prices hit record highs.

Previously, police arrested another man in South Jeolla on suspicion of stealing power lines worth about 60 million won from utility poles in Sinan, Muan and Haenam to extract the copper inside.

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 KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]