The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Unknown donor leaves cash for charity again this year

By Korea Herald

Published : Dec. 30, 2013 - 19:50

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Employees of the Nosong-dong Community Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, count money donated by an unidentified person in the center on Monday. (Yonhap News) Employees of the Nosong-dong Community Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, count money donated by an unidentified person in the center on Monday. (Yonhap News)
An unidentified person has made another cash donation this year in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, without being noticed at all.

The mysterious donor has left a huge sum of cash in front of a community center of the city office each year for 14 years in a row.

According to the Nosong-dong Community Center in Jeonju on Monday, a man presumed to be in his 50s called at around 11:15 a.m. Monday, and let them know he had left money there.

The man said over the phone, “I put the money beside the statue of ‘An Unknown Angel’ beside the garden in front of the center. Please use the money for less fortunate community members.” Then he hung up.

After the call, employees of the community center rushed to the site and found a piggy bank and a paper box packed with bundles of cash. The 10,000 won and 50,000 won bills and the many 100 won coins left there totaled 49,246,740 won ($46,632). A similar amount was left at the site in much the same way last year.

In the box was an A4-size paper reading, “Young boys and girls who support their parents and siblings: always stay in good spirits though you live a tough life, and happy New Year.”

The statue “An Unknown Angel” was put up by Jeonju city and Nosongdong residents to honor the unidentified donor, who has left charitable contributions there each year.

Residents and civil servants believe that the same person makes the anonymous donations each year, citing the way the money is donated, the timing and the man’s voice.

The donor leaves millions to tens of million of won around Christmas. So far, his donations have totaled about 350 million won.

He has never revealed his identity. This year, his donations came later than usual. Residents had been speculating that he might skip the donation this year, but were proved wrong.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)