A woman in South Korea has been accused of unplugging a freezer at an unmanned ice cream shop to charge her phone, allegedly causing the entire stock of ice cream to melt.
CCTV images circulating online reportedly show the woman, dressed in a white T-shirt and black trousers, charging her phone at the self-service kiosk after disconnecting the freezer’s power cable.
The incident allegedly resulted in all the ice cream in the store melting, forcing the owner to throw away the stock.
An angry post, believed to have been shared by the shop owner, highlighted the alleged damage and warned that legal action was being taken against the woman.
“All the ice cream in the store melted, so we had to throw everything away,” the post read.
“Legal action is now underway for business obstruction.”
One CCTV image reportedly showed the unplugged cable trailing on the floor after the woman left without reconnecting it to the power socket.
The incident has sparked criticism online, with some users describing the woman’s alleged actions as selfish and foolish.
“How does someone even think of unplugging a freezer?” one commenter asked.
Another wrote that the woman would probably continue causing problems for others if she behaved in such a selfish manner.
However, some questioned whether the shop owner should also bear responsibility for failing to notice the freezer had been unplugged before all the ice cream melted.
The incident has drawn comparisons with a similar case in 2022, when a woman in her 60s unplugged a freezer at an unmanned ice cream shop in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Around £280 worth of ice cream reportedly melted in that incident, and the woman was handed a four-month suspended prison sentence.
In the latest case, the shop reportedly intends to pursue legal action over the alleged disruption to its business.
