 |
|
A letter from the late Lee Yeong-sun.
|
$1,000 saved from social security checks
A middle-aged man visited the Hangangro 2nd District Office, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. He said that he wanted to report his mother’s death. "Mother told me to give you this," he said, handing the workers there an envelope. In the envelope, a letter, written by his mother, read: "My son, if something happens to me, convey this without looking at it. Don’t cry." The envelope contained another white envelope bearing one hundred tightly-folded 10,000-won (US$10) bills and two additional letters.One letter read, "I entrust this money to the young lady in charge of social welfare at the Hanggangro 2nd District Office, to help my neighbors. The other letter said, "Thank you, young lady. I will never forget you. This is my last present. If I meet you during the next life, I will reward you. I appreciate your kindness." The officials there hesitated to accept the old woman’s property, but they finally agreed because the son whole-heartedly asked them to receive the money, saying, "This is my mother’s wish, so please accept this." The money and letters come from Lee Yeong-sun, 75, who died on July 28. She was a recipient of national basic livelihood social security aid. Kang Yeong-mi, in charge of social welfare at the office, said, "The old lady’s monthly income was the 400,000 won she received from the district office. With the money, she paid rent on her room and bought medicine. After that, there would be almost nothing left. It is unbelievable that she was able to save the money." Lee lived alone in a small apartment building. She paid a monthly rent of 150,000 won for her narrow room. She had no telephone, so nobody could know of her condition without visiting her. She seemed lonely, as whenever an official of the office visited her, she repeatedly said, "Thank you." She had family, a son and a daughter. However, the office could not get in touch with either of them. As she recently found herself unable to move at all, her son showed up and took care of her. Kang of the office said, "I heard that both the son and daughter are very poor." The old woman’s health continued to worsen. In 2002, she lost her eyesight from complications of diabetes. Six months ago, she became to have difficulty breathing, and it seemed that she might have prepared for her death. Among the old lady’s belongings, there also was a scrap book of 700-some postage stamps which had apparently been collected for a long time. "There was a stamp which was made in 1963. I think the money and stamps were what she had saved during her entire life," Kang said. To observe her wish, the money, left behind by a person who was poor but did not lose the warmth of her heart, will go to social welfare facilities, "for neighbors poorer than I."
