Lost 5.43 Million Won in Heavy Rain in Gwangju Returned to Owner Thanks to Firefighter's Discovery

The cash amounting to 5.43 million won, which was lost on a day when record rainfall hit Gwangju, returned to its original owner about two weeks later.

According to a report by News1 on the 29th, a man in his 50s, referred to as Mr. A, safely recovered the large sum of cash he had lost on the 22nd.

Mr. A is a business owner operating a material store near the 평동 industrial complex in Gwangju's Gwangsan District. On the day of the heavy rain, he lost a bag containing cash he had prepared for purchasing materials during a hurried movement.

It was only when he later attempted to retrieve the cash that he realized he had lost the bag.

The bundle of cash was discovered by Fire Officer Park Seon-hong from the Northern Fire Station, who was dispatched to the scene after receiving a report about a flooded vehicle on the 17th.

While organizing the drainage pipes for pumping out the water and conducting safety measures, Officer Park found a white bag containing more than 100 bills of 50,000 won, totaling 5.43 million won.

Perfect Return Achieved Through Cooperation Between Firefighters and Police

Upon discovering the large sum of cash, Officer Park immediately reported the finding to the control room and handed over the bag.

The police began verifying the ownership using the company name written on the bag as a clue. Mr. A then contacted the fire station, stating that the bag seemed to match the one he had lost, and visited the police station as instructed.

After thoroughly confirming the facts through account withdrawal records and other means, the police returned the entire amount of cash to Mr. A. It has been reported that the police dried the wet bills one by one using a hairdryer for proper storage.

Thanks to this effort, Mr. A was able to retrieve clean and intact banknotes. It is said that he directly reached out to Officer Park through the police to express his heartfelt gratitude for helping him recover his precious property.

Image source: Fire Officer Park Seon-hong discovering the lost cash bag while working on draining a flooded vehicle at around 12:30 PM on the 17th near the main gate road of Chonnam National University in Jungheung-dong, Gwangju. / Provided by Gwangju Northern Fire Station, illustrative photo for the understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank