Pure Gold 20 Don in Carelessly Discarded Bag... Security Guard Finds Owner After Seeing Certificate

Praise Continues on Apartment Bulletin Boards
District Office Plans to Award Commendation Certificates

A security guard at an apartment in Busan was awarded a commendation by the local district office for finding the owner of 20 don of gold that had been discarded in the garbage area.

On the 29th, JTBC introduced a heartwarming story that recently took place at an apartment in Busan. The protagonist of the story is Mr. Hwang Gyu-hong, who works as a security guard at the apartment. Around 8:40 a.m. on the 15th, he found an old brown handbag in the apartment's garbage area.

[Photo by JTBC News]

At the time, Mr. Hwang was drawn to the bag because it was discarded without a waste disposal tag. When he opened the bag, he found three gold bars: one weighing 10 don and two weighing 5 don each. The 20 don of gold is worth approximately 9.6 million KRW as of the 29th. Although he initially suspected it might be counterfeit, Mr. Hwang was concerned about the certificate inside the bag. The certificate listed the weight of the gold bars and the purchase date.

After contacting the gold exchange listed on the certificate, Mr. Hwang was able to find the owner of the gold bars. This was possible because the transaction date was traceable. It was revealed that the bag belonged to a resident in her 60s who was caring for her sick husband. The daughter had thrown away the bag without knowing there was gold inside. Mr. Hwang told JTBC, "I am grateful that the gold bars could cover a significant portion of the hospital bills for the husband."

The apartment residents posted messages praising the security guard on the bulletin board, and upon hearing the heartwarming news, the district office decided to award him a commendation. Netizens who heard the story responded with comments such as, "The person who got it back must have been so thankful," "He seems like a wonderful person for finding it without hesitation," and "I hope blessings continue for generations."

Meanwhile, under Korean law, matters related to lost and found items are regulated by legislation. Article 4 (Reward) of the Lost Property Act states, "The person who receives the returned item must pay the finder a reward ranging from 5% to 20% of the item's value." However, the reward cannot be claimed if more than one month has passed since the item was returned.