"Please Make an Offer for the Mechanical Pencil Used by Notorious Escaped Convict Sin Chang-won"—Unexpected Listing on Karrot

[Financial News] A mechanical pencil and pencil leads allegedly used by notorious escaped convict Sin Chang-won while in prison have been listed for sale on a secondhand trading platform, sparking controversy.
On the 10th, a sales post titled "Rare Item: Belongings of Notorious Escaped Convict Sin Chang-won" appeared on secondhand trading platforms including Karrot and Bungaejangter.
The seller, identified only as Mr. A, is a user in Seo-gu, Daejeon. Although the listed price was 999,999 won, the transaction is effectively an auction in which prospective buyers are asked to make the first offer.
The attached photo shows a blue mechanical pencil and a matching mechanical-pencil lead case placed side by side. Each bears a yellowed name-label sticker. The stickers are printed with "Cheongsong No. 2 Prison" and "170 Sin Chang-won," along with the phrases "Writing-Materials Permit," "2010. 03. 29," "Head of the Social Reintegration Department," and "2.0 Mechanical Pencil Leads 2B." Red official-stamp marks are also visible.
The stickers appear to be permits attached when prisoners are authorized to bring writing materials, such as writing instruments, into the prison. The number "170" on the sticker is presumed to be the prisoner’s identification number.
Mr. A briefly explained how he came to possess the items. He said, "They were used by Sin Chang-won, our country’s notorious escaped convict," and added, "I happened to care for him during Sin Chang-won’s suicide attempt in May 2023 and received them as a keepsake, so I have been keeping them."
He continued, "I’m posting them in case there are collectors who might be interested," and added, "Please make an offer."
The "May 2023 incident" mentioned by Mr. A appears to refer to Sin Chang-won’s suicide attempt at Daejeon Prison on May 21 of that year, after which he was taken to a hospital.
Sin Chang-won was reportedly discovered by a prison employee on patrol and transported to a hospital. His life was not in danger. However, it has not been confirmed whether Mr. A actually cared for him or whether the items were used by Sin Chang-won.
In March 1989, Sin Chang-won broke into a home in Seongbuk District, Seoul, with accomplices, stole valuables, and killed the homeowner. He was arrested that year, convicted of robbery resulting in death, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
On January 20, 1997, his eighth year in prison, he cut through the metal bars of a ventilation opening in the bathroom of his cell at Busan Prison with a hacksaw and escaped. He spent two years and six months on the run across the country and committed approximately 140 additional offenses.
He was later captured in an apartment in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, in July 1999. The colorful patterned T-shirt he was wearing became fashionable, and even a fan club was formed, sparking social controversy known as the "Sin Chang-won syndrome."
Sin Chang-won reportedly attempted suicide twice—once in a solitary cell at North Gyeongsang Northern No. 1 Prison in August 2011 and again at Daejeon Prison in May 2023. He is still believed to be incarcerated.
Online users reacted by saying, "Everything imaginable gets posted on Karrot," "I wouldn’t want it even if it were given to me—it feels unlucky," and "There’s no proof that he actually used it, and even if there were, it’s shocking that someone would put something like this up for sale."
[email protected] Minseo Seong Reporter