Sanitation workers help woman find money intended for her son’s surgery
Sanitation workers in South Korea sifted through 24 tonnes of garbage to search for 26 million won (approximately S$24,000) that was intended for a woman’s son’s surgery.
After eight hours of digging, the workers managed to recover 18.28 million won (S$16,800) in cash.
Unfortunately, the rest of the money could not be found.
Woman accidentally throws away S$24K cash into waste collection system
According to South Korean news media YTN, Hyun-kyu Kang (name transliterated from Korean), an official from the city’s Resource Circulation Division, received an urgent call from the woman, who was in her 60s, at around 10am on 24 Feb.
In a panicked voice, she explained that she had mistakenly disposed of the S$24,000 cash into an automated waste collection system.
The money was intended for her son’s medical expenses.
Source: YTN
Realising that the trash would soon be transported to a waste processing facility for disposal, Mr Kang immediately halted waste removal before the trash was transported to a waste processing facility for disposal.
By the time she arrived at the facility, the woman was devastated—her cash was now buried inside a massive 24-tonne container of tightly compacted garbage.
Despite the overwhelming odds, sanitation workers volunteered to help, motivated by the fact that the money was intended for her son’s surgery.
Workers dig through waste to recover hidden bills
The team transferred the entire container to an open area and began searching. However, the automated system had already shredded most of the trash bags, scattering the contents everywhere.
Hours into their search, one worker suddenly shouted — he had found a 50,000-won bill. Soon after, others uncovered several 10,000-won notes.
After a grueling eight-hour search, the team managed to recover 18.28 million won (S$16,800). Unfortunately, the remaining S$7,200 could not be found.
Source: YTN
The woman later shared her heartfelt thanks on the Sejong City website, saying she had given up hope, but the workers refused to stop searching.
“I was in tears because they found each hidden bill for me,” she wrote.
Despite her offers of a reward, the workers declined, even apologizing for not being able to recover all of the money.
Her post ended with a deep appreciation for the sanitation workers, whose dedication and kindness helped salvage what seemed like an impossible loss.
Also read: S$3.7K Cash Scatters Across Thailand Road, Passers-By Pick Up & Return Notes To Owner
S$3.7K Cash Scatters Across Thailand Road, Passers-By Pick Up & Return Notes To Owner
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Featured image adapted from YTN.
