John
02-20-2010, 08:59 AM
A second hand shoe shop owner stole more than 1,200 pairs of designer shoes by posing as a mourner in South Korea.
His haul has been put on display by police in Seoul in the hope of reuniting as many as possible with their rightful owners, reports The Times.
The 59-year-old thief, named only as Mr Park by police, had literally walked off with his booty from funeral homes and hospitals across the capital.
His victims were the mourners who had slipped off their shoes out of respect, according to the national tradition.
Park would take off his own footwear, pay his 'respects', then put on a more expensive pair and walk off.
When police caught up with him after setting up a surveillance operation he led them to a warehouse stacked high with the expensive footwear that he had intended to boost his stock.
Police had watched as he arrived, suitably dressed in black, at one funeral home in southern Seoul's Suseo district then removed his own cheap shoes - a custom observed by mourners visiting funeral homes in Asia.
Then he made a brief appearance inside before leaving and slipping on a far more expensive pair.
Police said they caught him stealing three pairs of shoes, altogether worth £1,120.
His haul has been put on display by police in Seoul in the hope of reuniting as many as possible with their rightful owners, reports The Times.
The 59-year-old thief, named only as Mr Park by police, had literally walked off with his booty from funeral homes and hospitals across the capital.
His victims were the mourners who had slipped off their shoes out of respect, according to the national tradition.
Park would take off his own footwear, pay his 'respects', then put on a more expensive pair and walk off.
When police caught up with him after setting up a surveillance operation he led them to a warehouse stacked high with the expensive footwear that he had intended to boost his stock.
Police had watched as he arrived, suitably dressed in black, at one funeral home in southern Seoul's Suseo district then removed his own cheap shoes - a custom observed by mourners visiting funeral homes in Asia.
Then he made a brief appearance inside before leaving and slipping on a far more expensive pair.
Police said they caught him stealing three pairs of shoes, altogether worth £1,120.