Grandmother Who Donated All Her Savings as a Housekeeper... Passed Away Without Relatives

Grandmother Kwon Ok-seon Donates 50 Million Won to Buk-gu, Busan
Unclaimed Death Due to Family Refusal to Receive Body

An 80-year-old grandmother who donated her entire savings of 50 million won, which she had arduously gathered while working as a housekeeper, has passed away without any known relatives, evoking sadness.

O Tae-won, head of Buk-gu Office (left), is paying his respects at the funeral of the late grandmother Kwon Ok-seon on the 4th.
Photo by Buk-gu, Busan

According to reports from the International Newspaper on the 5th, Kwon Ok-seon (86) passed away on the 1st at a nursing hospital in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu, Busan. In February, Grandma Kwon closed two savings accounts containing her entire fortune and donated 50 million won to Buk-gu, Busan. It is said that she had saved this money by working as a housekeeper and other jobs since her youth.

Due to her difficult circumstances, Grandma Kwon, who did not even finish elementary school, expressed her wish for the donation to be used to help students from financially struggling families so that no one would have to endure the same hardships she faced. At the time, she told the International Newspaper, "I have cherished the saying that it is only right to share everything you have when you leave this world," and added, "Only after completing the donation do I feel truly at peace."

After the donation, Grandma Kwon rapidly weakened and was admitted to the nursing hospital in February. Upon admission, she tested positive for COVID-19 and later suffered from respiratory distress and heart failure before passing away on the 1st.

Buk-gu, Busan, tried to contact her family and acquaintances through the phone number on her mobile phone, but calls were either unanswered or the body was refused for handover. Grandma Kwon had no children and had lived alone for a long time after losing contact with her family. Ultimately, her death was processed as a case without known relatives.

The administrative welfare center of Mandeok 3-dong, Buk-gu, which had been caring for Grandma Kwon, set up a public funeral hall at a local funeral home. Officials from Buk-gu, including Oh Tae-won, the head of Buk-gu Office, visited the funeral hall to pay their respects. Oh Tae-won said, "We express our respect for the unconditional love for neighbors that the elder showed during her lifetime," and added, "Her attitude toward life, demonstrating values greater than material possessions, will remain a warm spark in our society and be remembered for a long time."