Infamous Mt. Mudeung robber turns to ‘petty thief’

This happened at a meat restaurant in Seo-gu, Gwangju City at 1 a.m. on March 25. A man, wearing facemask, unlocked the door to the restaurant and stealthily entered. As the alarm bell rang, however, he stole only 1,500 won (one U.S. dollar and 40 cents) from the cash box on the check counter, and hurriedly ran away.

When the Gwangju Seobu Police Station analyzed surveillance cameras around the restaurant after receiving police report, the thief was founded to be a 56-year-old man identified by his last name Lee, who is nicknamed “Mount Mudeung Squirrel.” A criminal with 13 convictions, Lee committed eight accounts of robbery against couples dating in the Mount Mudeung area during 1997 to 1998, and instantly ran away, an act that earned him the infamous nickname.

Lee stole jewelry worth 50 million won (48,100 dollars) at a jewelry store in Gwangju’s Dong-gu district in 2012, and served a prison term until December last year. But he couldn`t overcome his bad habit. He robbed over 1.4 million won (1,350 dollars) in cash from three convenience stores in Gwangju and Daejeon between March 28 and last Wednesday.

Police confirmed Lee’s image on a surveillance camera in an inter-city bus in Gwangju, and spotted him playing flower cards with elderly people at a stream near Yangdong Market in Gwangju’s Seo-gu district at 1 p.m. on Sunday. When five detectives approached Lee calling him by name, he violently resisted and even bit a detective’s shoulder with his teeth. After being arrested, Lee said, “I lived in prison for 25 years. Because I am too old now, I could not even work as daily laborer. I had no choice but to commit robbery to survive.” Police will seek arrest warrant for Lee.