"Grandma, Please Go Inside"... The Identity of the Middle School Student Who Appeared in the Scorching Heat

Video of Middle School Student Giving Money to Elderly Street Vendor Goes Viral
Principal Says, "Model Student Award to Be Presented at Summer Closing Ceremony"

A middle school boy in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, was captured on video handing money to an elderly woman selling farm produce in the scorching heat, drawing attention online.

A male student in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi, showed kindness to an elderly street vendor who was working in the scorching heat. Instagram

On July 7, a social media user identified as A, who runs a workshop in Dongducheon, posted a video on their social networking service (SNS) showing a boy in a school uniform talking with an elderly woman running a street stall.

The user wrote, "Every now and then, the grandmother comes out in front of my workshop to sell farm produce she harvested herself. A student from Dongducheon Middle School came by, listened to her stories, went to get change, and then seemed to just hand her the money and leave. The grandmother insisted he take something, and in the end, he took a bag of beans and kept bowing and greeting her as he left. It was such a heartwarming sight."

In the video, the student appears flustered as he fumbles through his pants pockets. He gestures as if to say he doesn't need to receive anything, but at the grandmother's urging, he eventually takes the bag of beans and walks away. At the time, the highest temperature in Dongducheon reached 33 degrees Celsius, with humidity at 85%, making it an extremely hot and humid day.

The student in the video was identified as Ok, a 14-year-old second-year student at Dongducheon Middle School. He reportedly exchanged a 50,000-won bill from his pocket for smaller bills at a nearby mobile phone shop and gave 30,000 won to the grandmother. Ok told Chosun.com, "It was so hot that I just wanted the grandmother to sell her goods quickly and go home to rest. I had saved that money for emergencies, but I felt that was the day I needed to use it. I don't regret it at all."

The video posted by A quickly spread on SNS, and as of July 9, two days after it was uploaded, it had surpassed 1.35 million views. Online users left comments praising the student's good deed, such as, "He's so admirable, I want to buy him ice cream," "Such a kind-hearted student," "A model middle schooler," and "His pure heart is truly touching."

The principal of Dongducheon Middle School also commented, "I met with the student and praised him extensively in the principal's office. He didn't even know about it since he doesn't use SNS. I explained it to him and also spoke with his mother to express my gratitude for raising such a wonderful son." The principal added, "We plan to present him with a model student award in front of the entire school at the summer closing ceremony."