A woman who unplugged a freezer at an unstaffed ice cream shop in South Korea to charge her phone — and left without restoring power, melting the store's entire stock — has drawn coverage in the British press. The store owner has filed a criminal complaint against her for obstruction of business.
British outlet The Sun reported on the 12th that the woman had unplugged the freezer at the self-service shop to charge her phone, leaving the ice cream to melt. The outlet described the footage as a shocking moment and said the owner was taking legal action.
A day earlier, on the 11th, a post appeared on a South Korean online forum saying the writer intended to file a complaint against a woman who had ruined all the products at an unstaffed ice cream shop and disrupted business.
Photos released with the post showed a woman in a white short-sleeved T-shirt and black trousers charging her phone inside the store. She had pulled the freezer's power plug to do so and left without plugging it back in after her phone finished charging, according to the account.
All the ice cream stored in the freezer melted and could no longer be sold. The owner has filed a criminal complaint against her for obstruction of business. A notice posted at the store read in part: "Criminal complaint for obstruction of business," "Turned off the freezer to charge a phone and left," and "Ice cream melted, sales suspended."
After the incident sparked debate on domestic online forums and then reached the British press, criticism from internet users followed. Comments included: "She has truly disgraced the country," "Does it make any sense to trade an entire shop's ice cream for a phone charge?" and "This absurd incident made foreign news the very next day."
Suspended Sentence for Cutting Freezer Power as Nuisance Cases Mount at Unstaffed Stores
There have been earlier cases in which people were criminally punished for cutting off freezer power at unstaffed stores.
A woman in her 60s was put on trial on charges including cutting the power to a freezer at an unstaffed store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, in March 2022, melting about 500,000 won ($350) worth of ice cream. She was sentenced last December to four months in prison, suspended for one year.
In September last year, footage also drew attention after it showed someone unplugging a freezer at an unstaffed ice cream shop and connecting what appeared to be an electric scooter battery and a vehicle inverter to charge them.
Using electricity at someone else's business without permission can constitute theft, depending on the specific facts. Theft under the Criminal Act is punishable by up to six years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,000).
2,748 Complaints About Unstaffed Stores in Three Years, With Unauthorized Electricity Use Among the Issues
Complaints related to unstaffed stores are also on the rise. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission issued a public complaint alert in April as such grievances increased.
The commission analyzed 2,748 complaints about unstaffed stores collected in its complaint analysis system over the three years from April 2022 to March 2025. It found that monthly complaints averaged 103 last year, 1.91 times the level in 2022.
The main complaints involved reports of theft and damage to goods at unstaffed stores, food hygiene concerns, and everyday inconveniences linked to store facilities. Cases of unauthorized use of store electricity — such as eating outside food or charging phones at unstaffed cafes without ordering a drink — were singled out as a particular problem.
The commission called on relevant agencies to draw up measures to prevent crime at unstaffed stores, strengthen hygiene management and improve facility management.