"Praising Comments Poured In After Posting a Beautiful Handwritten Notice Saying 'I Am a Cleaning Lady'"

Some Voices Say "There Are Not Enough Trash Bins in the City" Complaints Too

A cleaning service applicant who introduced herself as a 'cleaning ajumma' moved netizens' hearts with a handwritten note of request.

On the 21st, a photo of a handwritten notice was posted on an online community. The netizen who posted the image explained, "I saw the writing while going up the stairs after having a late breakfast at a Korean buffet in the nearby basement."

The notice begins with the sentence, "Hello? I am the cleaning ajumma." It continues, "Wherever you go, you like cleanliness, right? Please try this. Instead of throwing tissues, cigarette butts, empty beverage bottles, coffee paper cups, etc., on the stairs, put them in your pocket or bag and then throw them into the trash can," she requested.

Notice posted on a community [Image source=Online community capture]

She added, "If you do so, joy and a pleasant heart will come along as well."

The netizen who shared the notice guessed that there must have been many cases of thoughtless littering before the cleaning ajumma wrote this. They said, "Isn't it advanced civic consciousness to observe public morals in spaces used by many people? Things would really improve if only the basics were followed."

Netizens who read the note expressed being impressed by the cleaning ajumma's considerate heart. Comments included, "Her heart is as beautiful as her handwriting," "A notice that makes you feel good just by looking at the writing," and "It makes me reflect on my usual behavior."

Some pointed out that the lack of public trash bins in urban areas is the cause of overflowing garbage on the streets. One netizen criticized, "There are no trash bins anywhere, so people throw garbage on the streets."

Trash placed on the street due to a lack of trash bins [Image source=Seoul City]

In fact, the number of public trash bins in Seoul has decreased over the past three years. According to data submitted to the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee member Choi In-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, there were 6,940 public trash bins in the city center in 2019, but the number dropped to 4,958 in 2022, a decrease of about 2,000.

In a 2021 survey conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 73.3% of respondents complained about the inconvenience of 'too few trash bins.' Accordingly, Seoul plans to increase the number of public trash bins. The budget for installing trash bins was allocated at 286.05 million KRW this year, a 300% increase compared to the previous year. Previously, the city announced plans to increase the number of trash bins to 5,500 by the end of last year, 6,500 this year, and 7,500 next year, adding about 1,000 bins annually.

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