Man arrested after robbing convenience store with toy gun

An Uruguayan national is robbing a convenience store with a toy gun in Iksan, North Jeolla Province on Monday. (Jeonbuk Provincial Police)

A man was arrested on Monday for robbing a convenience store with a toy gun in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.

He is accused of stealing 500,000 won ($373) from a convenience store while intimidating the clerk with a toy gun at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The suspect, an Uruguayan national, is reported to have used a translator to demand money while threatening the clerk with the toy gun, which he kept concealed beneath his clothing.

The police issued a code zero, denoting the highest response level, after the store clerk reported that the suspect "threatened me with an object resembling a gun," and caught the suspect three hours later outside a bank in Iksan.

Although the police managed to identify the suspect based on the physical description provided, he had reportedly changed his clothes to evade detection by law enforcement.

The police recovered belongings that were employed in the robbery, including a ski mask, along with the stolen money and other items. Only the firearm was missing.

The man reportedly informed police that he had discarded the gun in the neighborhood, leading the police to search for the firearm in question, which was later determined to be a toy.

Article 334 of the Criminal Act stipulates that anyone that forcibly takes another's property through violence or intimidation while trespassing can be punished with a prison sentence of from five years to life.

Possession of guns is strictly prohibited in Korea, except for authorized personnel in security-related fields, according to the Act on the Safety Management of Guns, Swords, Explosives.

Further investigation into the case is currently underway.

By Park Soong-joo(soongjoopark@heraldcorp.com)