In Canada, about 40 people dressed as Santa Claus and elves said they were protesting rising prices and fled after stealing goods worth several million won from a grocery store.
On the 18th (local time), according to Canada's CTV News and others, Montreal police said a group called "Robin des Rues" recently stole about $3,000 (about 4.1 million won) worth of groceries in a coordinated theft from a supermarket in Montreal and fled.
They styled themselves after the legendary outlaw "Robin Hood" and criticized large grocery chains for making excessive profits even amid high inflation. The group plans to place some of the stolen items under the Christmas tree at a specific square on the afternoon of the 23rd or distribute them through food banks.
Metro, the grocery chain that was victimized, pushed back, saying price increases stem from a combination of factors such as supply chain disruptions and raw material costs. A Spokesperson for the company also noted that retail crime is one of the causes of price increases, and criticized justifying crime when the company is already making substantial food donations.
Local police are tracking the group by deploying investigators based on in-store CCTV footage and videos of the crime posted on social media (SNS). The group boldly wore Santa outfits and acted collectively at the time of the incident, but no arrests have been made so far.