Man casually takes giant Jinro frog statue outside Korean eatery in Tanjong Pagar, police investigating

Korean restaurant owner Lee was shocked to discover that a pink frog statue he received as a gift was stolen from the front of his restaurant.

Lee, who recently soft-launched the second outlet of his Yeyak restaurant at 39 Neil Road, told Mothership that the theft occurred around 1 am on Jun. 8.

He only realised it the next morning and lodged a police report upon finding out.

In response to Mothership's queries, police confirmed that a report was lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Caught on CCTV

CCTV footage shows a man wearing a white cap walking behind a man and a woman.

The man in the white cap then turns to the table and casually picks up the pink frog before following the pair ahead.

Two other people walk by shortly after, with one of them reaching out to slap the man on the shoulder.

Audio from the footage captures someone exclaiming, "this guy ah".

Shock and disbelief

Lee said the team was shocked to discover the incident, especially since they had just opened a few days earlier.

They realised the statue was missing the next day and reviewed the CCTV footage to confirm what happened.

Lee also expressed disbelief that such an incident occurred in Singapore, adding that other Koreans he spoke to who are living in Singapore had also expressed their surprise.

He has since filed a police report.

Although the frog statue was a gift from soju brand Jinro — commonly given to Korean restaurants as promotional gifts — Lee said it held sentimental value for the team, especially since it was a pink version, which is "rare" to receive.

Lee said that due to the weight and size of the statue, shipping costs would have added up to around S$500.

Carousell listings of the frog statue range from S$399 to S$508.

"To us we lost something precious but to this thief, it seemed to be something cool and exciting," Lee shared in an Instagram post appealing for help to catch the thief.

Frog returned

Lee shared that the frog was returned during the night of Jun. 9.

The man also apologised to Lee for his actions, explaining that he had been "very drunk" that night.

According to Lee, he was "very apologetic and regretted his actions".

Lee expressed gratitude to their followers and regulars who showed concern, and mentioned that some had suggested reporting the incident to the police and media.

"I want to thank everyone for their concern and we are just happy that the case is closed and do not want to further pursue this," Lee said.

Top photos courtesy of Lee