"I Felt Ashamed"... Foreigner Cleans Up Hiking Trail Trash Alone as Koreans Pass By

Story Shared on Bupyeong District's "Let's Give Compliments" Website
"Foreigner Cleans Up Underground Trash in Subzero Temperatures"
Author: "I Was Ashamed of My Own Indifference"

The story of a foreigner who has quietly cleaned up trash buried in the mountains every weekend, even in subzero temperatures, has come to light belatedly.

A foreigner Mr. A is seen cleaning up trash on a mountain located in Bupyeong District, Incheon. Screenshot from the Bupyeong District Office website

According to Bupyeong District, Incheon, on January 19, a post titled "A Morning When I Felt Ashamed of Myself" was uploaded to the "Let's Give Compliments" section of the district office website.

The author, who stated they have lived in the area for 20 years, witnessed an American, Mr. A, digging up trash buried underground at the entrance to the Jangsu Mountain hiking trail in Sangok-dong on the morning of January 17. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the lowest temperature in Bupyeong District that day was minus 3 degrees Celsius.

The author recounted, "Mr. A had already gathered a pile of trash at the entrance and continued to pull out more garbage. His ears and cheeks were so red from the cold that it was heartbreaking to see."

Through their conversation, it was revealed that Mr. A, who entered Korea in 2024, lives in a nearby apartment and commutes to work at a company in Gangnam, Seoul, leading an ordinary life as an office worker.

Trash collected by a foreigner Mr. A from the mountain. Screenshot from Bupyeong District Office website

Despite not working in an environmental field, he has been visiting the mountain every weekend to collect household waste that is difficult to decompose naturally, such as discarded plastic bags, plastic containers, and rubber boots.

Mr. A reportedly said, "When I gather the trash, my friends report it to the district office, and it gets collected."

The author expressed, "I felt endlessly ashamed of my own indifference despite living in this neighborhood," adding, "I exchanged contact information with Mr. A and promised to join him next time."