"Where Is Conscience?" Myeongdong Streets Filled with Beverage Cups... Cleaned Alone for 1 Hour

Plastic Cups Piled High on Transformer
Passersby Foreigners Surprised, Took Photos
"I Cleaned Up with the Spirit of Promoting National Honor"

A story of a citizen who voluntarily cleaned up a pile of trash found on a street in Myeongdong, Seoul, has been praised. On the 26th, an online community post titled “Will I be punished if I clean up street creations in Myeongdong?” was uploaded. The author, Mr. A, said, “I stopped by Daiso in Myeongdong, and there were many foreigners gathered around a street transformer, creating these artworks by hand,” and shared photos.

Trash densely piled on a transformer in Myeongdong Street, Seoul. [Image source=Online community Wootgin University capture]

The photos posted by Mr. A showed plastic drink cups and PET bottles densely placed on top of the transformer. The so-called “artworks” Mr. A mentioned turned out to be illegally dumped trash. He said, “Foreigners passing by were taking pictures as if it was a famous attraction,” and added, “I had an hour free, so I decided to clean them up one by one.”

Mr. A opened the drink lids and poured the remaining beverages down the drain, then began stacking the cups neatly. He said, “It was really dirty,” but also, “I took down everything people had eaten and separated the trash.” He continued, “But even while I was cleaning, others kept putting more trash back up there. Where is their conscience?” he criticized.

He said, “Rather than thinking I was doing a good deed, I spent an hour with the mindset of promoting national pride,” and added, “I almost passed by, but after doing it, I feel proud.” The photos he shared showed that the trash piled on the transformer had been well separated and placed behind it. The top of the transformer looked much cleaner than before.

Mr. A emphasized, “It’s not only BTS or NewJeans who promote Korea. We can do it too,” and urged, “When you see something like this, don’t just pass by.” Netizens who saw this left comments such as “It’s admirable to take the initiative,” “It makes me reflect on whether I’ve ever littered like this,” “It warms my heart,” and “Thanks to people like this, life still feels worth living.”

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