"I Won 5,000 Won"—But It Turned Out to Be 500 Million Won, and First Prize

[Financial News] A man who went out for a walk to recover after major surgery unexpectedly bought a scratch-off lottery ticket and won first prize, taking home a windfall of 500 million won.
According to Donghaeng Lottery on the 30th, a first-prize winner emerged from the 109th round of Speetto 1000, sold at a lottery shop on Bogukmun-ro in Seongbuk District, Seoul.
The winner, identified as A, had recently undergone major surgery and was resting at home while focusing on recovery. He said, "I would sometimes go out for a walk to refresh myself and get some exercise, and I would occasionally buy lottery tickets."
On the day he won, A went out for his usual walk and bought seven Speetto 1000 tickets without expecting much. After returning home and finishing dinner, he checked whether he had won.
A recalled the moment, saying, "While scratching off the ticket, I saw a winning mark. Since I had occasionally won small amounts before, I saw the letter 'O' and assumed, without thinking much about it, that I had won 5,000 won."
He added, "After checking all seven tickets and putting them away, I looked again and realized that the prize I thought was 5,000 won was actually 500 million won."
A said, "I was so shocked for a moment that it felt like I was dreaming. I had never imagined that such a huge stroke of luck would come my way, so I was even more surprised, and I still can’t quite believe it."
He said he told his spouse about the win the next day and added, "My spouse kept saying it was unbelievable."
For A, the win came as an unexpected blessing during a difficult recovery period after surgery. He said, "I had been going through a hard time while recovering from surgery, and I am deeply grateful that such an unexpected and enormous stroke of luck came my way." He added, "I think this win will be a great comfort and a source of energy as I try to regain my strength."
A, who said he usually buys Speetto 1000 about once a week, stated that he plans to use part of the prize money to repay loans.
Speetto 1000 is a scratch-off lottery game in which players win the corresponding prize if a lucky number matches one of the six numbers on their ticket. Each ticket costs 1,000 won, and the first-prize payout is 500 million won.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter