Cafe Owner Drops Theft Charges Against Part-Time Worker: What Happened?

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A cafe owner who had accused a part-time employee of embezzling three drinks taken as the employee left work has withdrawn the complaint and issued an apology.

According to police on the 3rd, A, the owner of a franchise cafe in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, submitted a withdrawal of the complaint against part-time employee B to the Cheongju Cheongwon Police Station the previous day through an attorney. Officials say A withdrew the complaint after facing public criticism.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a targeted inspection of the cafe, and the franchise headquarters has conducted an on-site review.

However, police may still consider referring B to the Minor Offenses Review Committee after weighing the withdrawal and other circumstances. Because embezzlement in the course of business is not a crime that a victim can unilaterally withdraw, the police investigation will continue.

In October last year, A accused B of embezzlement in the course of business, alleging B made and took three drinks — including iced Americanos — worth 12,800 KRW (about USD 9.60).

B said the drinks had been destined for disposal due to production errors, but police found grounds for embezzlement charges and forwarded the case to prosecutors without detaining him. Prosecutors requested additional evidence and sent the case back to police for further investigation.

Separately, reporters learned that another owner of the same brand, C, recently obtained a settlement of 5,500,000 KRW (about USD 4,125.00) from B.

Officials said the settlement stemmed from allegations that, while working at C’s store, B gave acquaintances roughly 350,000 KRW (about USD 262.50) worth of drinks for free and credited customer purchase points to his own account. At the time, B — then repeating a college entrance year — worked at both A’s and C’s stores from May to October last year because of staff shortages. Because A was friends with C, A reportedly accused B, saying the part-time employee had committed the same wrongdoing at his shop.

C told a media outlet, “I’m sorry. I acted thoughtlessly,” and issued an apology.