Court clears South Korean worker of stealing 73-cent snacks

Deeming the offence minor, prosecutors had filed a summary indictment, but the driver insisted he was innocent and requested a formal trial.

A court found him guilty and fined him 50,000 won -- around fifty times the value of what he had eaten.

But the worker immediately appealed, and finally won the legal challenge.

"The defendant was acquitted," an official from the Jeonju District Court told AFP Friday.

The company had argued that unlike its staff, subcontracted workers like the accused were not allowed to open the refrigerator without permission.

But the appellate court said in its final ruling that the drivers were in fact told "they could eat snacks in the office, and the security employees ate snacks during night shifts."

With 39 other subcontracted workers offering statements that they also ate snack from the fridge, the appellate court ruled that "it is difficult to conclude that the defendant had the intent to steal."

The defendant's lawyer told reporters after the ruling the driver "felt deeply ashamed that it led to a trial," as "he was simply hungry in the early morning and ate a Choco Pie."

"There were various ups and downs along the way, but I am very grateful for this outcome, and I believe the defendant feels the same," said the defendant's lawyer.

The case has sparked public outcry in South Korea, with labour unions comparing the worker to Jean Valjean, the protagonist of French classic novel "Les Miserables" jailed for stealing bread to feed his siblings.

hs/hmn