Civil Servant Finds $1,500 Discarded by Resident in Trash Heap... Andong City Official Kim Juwan

Chased Garbage Truck After Accidentally Throwing Away Cash in Pay-As-You-Throw Bag

It was revealed on the 25th that public officials from the Resource Circulation Division of Andong City Hall (Mayor Kwon Gichang) found USD 1,500 (approximately 2 million KRW) that a resident had accidentally thrown away, after searching through a 2-ton pile of garbage.

At around 1 p.m. on the 23rd, Kim Juwan, an official at the Resource Circulation Division of Andong City Hall, received an urgent phone call. The caller explained that they had accidentally thrown away money prepared for overseas travel in a standard garbage bag and, upon checking the site, found that the garbage truck had already collected it, requesting assistance.

Andong City Hall officials are searching through piles of garbage to find $1,500 that a civil petitioner accidentally threw away in a volume-based waste bag.

Kim Juwan immediately contacted the cleaning company responsible for the area, confirmed that the garbage truck was still operating, and headed to the company’s parking lot.

Kim Juwan, environmental officer Jo Seokjae, and ten temporary workers from Clean City searched through about 2 tons of garbage and, fortunately, found the standard garbage bag containing the cash within an hour. The money was returned on the spot to its anxious owner, who had been watching the process closely.

The citizen, who was able to recover the money thanks to the staff’s swift response, said, “I almost had to cancel my trip, but I am so grateful,” repeatedly expressing appreciation for the proactive and quick actions of the Andong City officials.

Kim Juwan and Jo Seokjae from the Resource Circulation Division remarked humbly, “Anyone would have acted the same way in this situation.”