Newly released CCTV footage shows actor Kim Gyu-ri after escaping robber who broke into her home

Newly released CCTV footage shows actor Kim Gyu-ri running barefoot down a rain-soaked street after escaping a robber who broke into her home in Jongno District, central Seoul, earlier this week.

The frantic moments following a break-in at Kim's hanok (traditional Korean housing) in Bukchon Hanok Village on Wednesday night were captured in CCTV footage aired by Yonhap News TV on Friday. A man was arrested on charges of robbery and causing injury and ordered into pretrial detention by a Seoul court that same day. 

Kim and her acquaintance, who was in the house with the actor, managed to escape the suspect when his guard briefly slipped. The CCTV footage shows them running barefoot down the wet street, flagging down passing vehicles and pedestrians for help. A nearby shopkeeper spotted them and called 112, the Korean police hotline.

The robber “tried to tie them up and demanded 30 million won [$19,700],” according to the police report made to 112.

The man broke in at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. He threatened Kim and the woman who was with her at the time, demanding that they hand over any valuables, police said. Both suffered fractures and bruises in the assault.

The suspect surrendered about three hours after the break-in in Hwagok-dong in Gangseo District, western Seoul, and was placed under emergency arrest.

The Seoul Central District Court issued the detention warrant on Friday, citing flight risk.

The suspect told reporters after the warrant hearing that he had admitted to the charges. When asked about his motive, whether the crime was premeditated and whether he had demanded money, he only repeated, “I'm sorry.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]