By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
A local supermarket and a student are embroiled in a legal battle over the latter being fined an "excessive" amount for stealing cookies.
According to Haeundae Police Station, an 18-year-old high school student swiped a total of 7,100 won ($6) worth of candy and cookies from a supermarket in Busan on July 13, but was caught by staff.
The supermarket owner asked the student's parents to pay 710,000 won ($600) in return for not reporting the incident to police.
"There have been an increasing number of shoplifters lately, giving us headaches as well as causing damage to the business,'' the owner said. "We have posted a notice at the entrance of the store that says one should repay 100 times for the theft, to warn people."
However, the parents said the fine was too harsh.
"My daughter did it out of hunger. It wasn't right but it does happen," the mother said.
When the "negotiations" failed, the supermarket reported the girl to police for theft.
The parents filed a complaint with the police against the store owner, claiming that their daughter suffered from constant threats. The police booked the girl and are considering the possibility of a threat charge against the owner of the supermarket .