<Anchor> The



number of stores without staff is increasing recently.

There are many people who start unmanned stores because they think that they can reduce labor costs and management costs amid the coronavirus, but the problem is that they are vulnerable to crime.



Reporter Lee Seong-hoon covered whether there would be any countermeasures.



<Reporter> A



man wearing a black hat is looking around, inserts a credit card and enters a convenience store.



Holding a handful of gift cards, he stood in front of the checkout counter, lifted the screen, pulled out a cigarette, and ran outside.



[Go Jong-chan / Convenience store operation: When a person enters the checkout counter, the alarm goes off.

But there are too many errors.

The head office said it was a very secure system, but when I saw it, it was a little sloppy...

.] As the



thefts continued, the owner stopped the nighttime unmanned convenience store operation.



In an effort to reduce labor costs, only KRW 25 million in facility investment was wasted.




In the unmanned laundromat, teenagers sit in carts, play, and even fall asleep on the floor.



Despite the huge disruption to business, it is difficult to report anything other than theft.



[Unmanned laundromat owner: When I reported it, he asked me if I had written the phrase 'You can't go to sleep here'.

Even at the police box, who do we trust and report?

.] The



number of crimes related to unmanned stores has increased eightfold in two years, with more than 1,600 cases already this year.



However, even if a theft case occurs, it is not easy to arrest immediately with CCTV alone, and it is difficult to obtain compensation unless a civil lawsuit is filed, as teenagers mainly commit crimes.



[Ko Jong-chan / Convenience store operation: If the other side does not agree, the loss is completely harmed to the store owner, and the head office now bears nothing anymore…

.]



It is pointed out that unmanned stores should be included in the police patrol route and that unmanned store companies should further strengthen their security systems.



(Video coverage: Park Hyun-chul, video editing: Park Ki-duk)