Our Society Still Full of Love and Care

“I want to compensate for the money lost to the fraud.”

Our paper reported on August 22 (A31) that Kang Chong-soon (29), wife of Cho Chun-hyung who was killed during the Yellow Sea Engagement got defrauded and lost 5.35 million won (circa. $4,800) out of the government compensation. On the same day, a secretary of a president at a corporation in Seoul called in to our company. “Our president, upon knowing the pitiful story of Mrs. Kang through Dong A Daily, regretted, ‘How in the world this could happen!’ Then he directed us to find a way to help her. So, I am asking your paper to inform me of her bank account number.”

The anonymous president wire-transferred the defrauded amount (5 million won) on August 23 to Kang’s account.

But the secretary insisted that his boss’ name remain anonymous and said, “Our president sincerely and firmly requested that his name should not be disclosed to Mrs. Kang as well as the press.”

All we know of the president is that he was an ordinary worker at a trading company after graduation from college. Later he set up his own corporation and has succeeded as a businessman. In other word, he is a successful entrepreneur who has stood on his own feet.

Mrs. Kang asked our paper to express her gratitude on her behalf and said, “When I got defrauded, I felt the sky falling down on me. But, now I have regained strength with the help of him. I do not know how to contact him. I am asking Dong A Daily to give my best wishes and gratitude to him and let him know, ‘The money he has given to me will be used for the well-being of our kid.’”

It transpired that Mrs. Kang refused to accept the money at first. She insisted, “I can’t accept ‘any money.’”

In addition to this, another person helped Mrs. Kang on August 22, proving that our society is still full of love and care about our fellow citizens.

A man in his 50s, who strongly insisted on anonymity, transferred 5.35 million won, the exact amount defrauded, to Mrs. Kang account. He reportedly said, “I thought of helping her right after the outbreak of the Yellow Sea Engagement. But I was too busy to put that into action. But, reading the sad story of her in the paper, I decided to put my wish into action this time.”

In the meanwhile, the Choongboo Police Station of Daejun City, which has been investigating this case, suspects that the scam has been waged on a large scale. The police have found out that the account, to which Mrs. Kang transferred the money as payments for taxes, has recorded many transactions. Thus, the police believe that there are many other victims and, accordingly, are widening the probe.

The account in question, according to the police, was opened in the name of a woman whose last name is Lee (67). But she herself has not known of the existence of the account until lately.

mhjee@donga.com