Last month, on February 24, sanitation workers in Sejong City, dressed in protective uniforms, combed through a field of trash. They dug through 24 tons of trash to find 24 million KRW (approximately 16,584 USD) that had been accidentally thrown away.
Sanitation workers sprang into action after receiving a desperate call from the Sejong City Resource Recycling Division. A woman in her 60s reported that she had accidentally thrown away 24 million KRW, funds she had intended for her son's surgery, at a waste collection facility.
Sejong City officials immediately ordered a suspension of all waste removal, and the sanitation workers decided to dig through the compressed trash pile after hearing the money was for the son's surgery. After eight hours, the sanitation workers managed to recover 18.28 million KRW (12,631 USD) in 50,000 and 10,000 KRW bills from the trash pile.
The dedication of the sanitation workers became widely known after the woman, who had lost the money, posted a thank-you note on Sejong City's website.
She wrote, "When I saw the huge pile of compressed trash, I had given up, but the staff members carefully found each hidden bill inside the trash. I’m so grateful, and I cried because of it."
She added, "The immense gratitude I felt can't be bought with money, and my heart ached. Even though they didn’t accept any reward, they were apologetic for not finding everything. I want to express my thanks to the Sejong City employees."
In response, a Sejong City official said, "We are happy to have been of some help, and it’s fortunate that we could assist," adding that the workers who had struggled through the task expressed gratitude for the compliments they received, saying it was "nothing special."
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