I love a good crime story, & this one out of Korea is just exactly what you need if you’re getting sick of winter weather & want something to stimulate your brain:
Seoul has been suffering from a crime wave of stolen shoes. They’re disappearing from everyplace from restaurants to funeral homes. Well, from in front of these establishments—it’s the custom in much of Asia to leave your shoes by the entry when you go indoors. Perfect setup for someone looking for a free pair of Farragamos or Charles Jourdans.
All props to the enterprising Mr. Park who’s accumulated 1700 pairs of shoes, presumably for resale on the street.
Big buzz killer, though, for the patrons coming out from a nice meal & maybe a few glasses of soju, & discovering their kicks are missing. It’s been a while since I lived in Seoul, but I have to say that I wouldn’t want to touch either streets or sidewalks unshod. My mother wouldn’t even let us walk barefoot on city sidewalks in Pasadena because “people spit on them”.
South Korea’s quite the entrepreneurial hotbed: it’s interesting that people are taking advantage of the footwear felons by inflating the manufacturer & cost of the missing shoes when demanding compensation.
God bless technology: restaurateurs are installing CCTV to bring the hopefuls back to, erm, earth.
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