A Man in His 70s Who Ate Mussels at the Market 50 Years Ago Donates $2,000 "Please Serve a Meal to Those in Need"

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A man in his 70s who once received a bowl of mussels near Sinchon Market over 50 years ago handed over $2,000 (approximately 2.37 million KRW) to the police, asking them to provide a meal to those in greatest need.

According to the police on the 28th, in mid-last month, a man in his 70s visited the Sinchon Police Substation of the Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, delivering a letter along with a $2,000 check, saying it was "at the request of my friend Mr. A (72, male), who lives in the United States."

A letter written by a man in his 70s who had a bowl of mussels near Sinchon Market over 50 years ago

Mr. A currently works and resides in New York, USA. His story, written in the letter, was as follows: In the mid-1970s, Mr. A moved from Gangwon Province to Seoul and lived a difficult life as a working student in Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu. One winter night, after finishing a part-time job and on his way home, he felt hungry and received a bowl of mussels on credit from a street vendor woman operating in the back alleys of Sinchon Market. He promised to "pay back tomorrow," but was unable to gather the money the next day, and soon after, Mr. A enlisted in the military. After his discharge, he emigrated to the United States and was never able to repay the debt for that bowl of mussels.

In the letter, Mr. A expressed, "For the past 50 years, I have lived with the guilt and emotional debt of having been a liar to the kind woman back then," and added, "Now, reflecting on my life, although it is very late, I have decided to repay her kindness in some way, so I have overcome my shame and sent this letter." He further stated, "I hope you can provide at least one warm meal to the most vulnerable people in the community." The police handed over Mr. A’s donation to the Sinchon-dong Community Security Council (Mabom Council).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.