Anonymous shopper repays childhood theft nearly 20 years later

Most donations arrive quietly. This one? It came with a confession.

An E-mart in Cheongju recently discovered a handwritten letter and 250,000 won ($165) left inside the city's "Dream Box" donation station. The anonymous letter contained a secret someone had been carrying for nearly two decades.

"Back in the day as a thoughtless child, driven by curiosity and a childish prank, I once took a pencil case and some stationery from E-mart without paying for them," the confession began.

"Even after nearly 20 years, I have continued to regret it and feel ashamed. As a sign of repentance and apology, I would like to pay for what I failed to pay back then."

"We were deeply touched by the mature courage and conscience of someone who, even after many years, did not forget their mistake and sought to make it right," an official at the Cheongju branch told local media.

The money was handed over to Cheongju City, which plans to use it to support neighbors in need.

Cheongju City launched the Dream Box program in July 2024 at major retail stores in the region to collect donated food and daily necessities. Items placed in the boxes are delivered to low-income households through local food banks and food markets.

The same Dream Box at E-mart's Cheongju branch has also drawn other anonymous acts of giving. In February, a donor who identified himself only as a Korean Chinese uncle who loves children, left gift certificates worth 2.75 million won in February, followed by another 750,000 won in March.

In a note, he wrote that he hoped the donation would help provide warm meals for children in need.