Grandmother Park Chun-ja, Who Donated Her Entire Savings from Selling Gimbap, Passes Away After Giving Her Last Deposit

Grandmother Park Chun-ja (95), who donated her entire fortune earned from selling gimbap since she was about 10 years old, passed away after donating her last remaining monthly rent deposit. After quitting the gimbap business, Grandmother Park also volunteered for people with disabilities by bringing 11 intellectually disabled individuals into her home and caring for them like her own children.

The late Park Chun-ja grandmother [Photo courtesy of Green Umbrella Children's Foundation]

On the 13th, Green Umbrella announced that Grandmother Park Chun-ja donated the 50 million won deposit of her house according to her wishes expressed before her passing on the 11th. Grandmother Park had already donated over 600 million won of her entire fortune to help those in need during her lifetime. This fortune was accumulated over more than 50 years by selling gimbap daily to hikers at the entrance of Namhansanseong since she was about 10 years old.

In 2008, Grandmother Park donated 300 million won to Green Umbrella, saying she wanted to help children who had to give up their studies due to lack of money. She also generously donated another 300 million won to a convent as a fund for building a residence for people with disabilities. In 2011, she gave an additional 10 million won to Green Umbrella for overseas child support. In 2019, she left a will stating she would donate an additional 50 million won, the deposit of her house, to Green Umbrella, saying, "I want to share a little more before I die." She said, "Helping others is the most joyful, and when helping people with disabilities, all worries disappear."

Prior to this, Grandmother Park had been volunteering for people with disabilities in need for over 40 years since she was in her forties. After quitting the gimbap business in her sixties, she took in 11 intellectually disabled individuals into her home and cared for them like her own children for over 20 years.

As her good deeds became known, Grandmother Park received the LG Hero Award in 2021 and was invited to a donation and sharing event at the Blue House the same year. At that time, she said, "Since I was ten, I sold gimbap at Gyeongseong Station, avoiding the eyes of the police," and added, "I was so happy buying food with the money I earned that I wanted to share it with others. Giving money to those who have none could give them this happiness. There is nothing more pleasant than sharing."

The funeral was held at Somang Funeral Hall in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and after the farewell ceremony on the morning of the 13th, the deceased was laid to rest at Anseong Memorial Park.

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