“Did you lose your wallet? I’ll leave it here” ... A foreigner’s thoughtful gesture, tucking it into a gap in the fortress wall [Warm Stories]

[Financial News] The story has emerged of a man in his 70s who lost his card wallet at Naksan Park in Seoul and safely recovered it thanks to the thoughtful gesture of a foreign woman.

According to a tip from a reader to this newspaper on the 13th, Mr. A, in his 70s, visited the walking trail at Naksan Park in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 9th, during the Hangul Day holiday weekend, with former colleagues who had joined his former workplace at the same time. There, he received a KakaoTalk message from a foreign stranger.
The message was from a foreign woman named “Katerina” and said, “I have your wallet.”
She sent a photo of the wallet she had found along with the message, “Hello. Is it yours?” (“Hello, is this your wallet?”)
Only then did Mr. A realize that he had lost his wallet.
Katerina explained that she had checked the business card inside the wallet and used it to send Mr. A a KakaoTalk message.
She attached a photo of the spot, with a red arrow marking the gap in the fortress wall where she had left the wallet, saying, “I found it in Naksan Park. There was a business card with that number inside. I left it here.” (“I found the wallet in Naksan Park. There was a business card inside with a phone number on it. I’ll leave the wallet here.”)

After finishing the walk and sitting down to eat, Mr. A saw the message and hurried back up to the fortress at Naksan Park.
Even though an hour had passed since he received the message, the wallet remained in the gap in the fortress wall, untouched by passersby and right where it was marked in the photo.
After safely recovering his wallet, Mr. A thanked Katerina, saying, “Ms. Katerina! Today is a wonderful day!” (“Today is truly a wonderful day!”)

In an interview with this newspaper, Mr. A said, “I was so grateful for the foreign woman’s thoughtfulness in saving my phone number herself, messaging me on KakaoTalk, and even marking the location in the photo.”
The lost wallet contained business cards, an apartment access key, and a “hospital emergency treatment card” related to heart surgery he had undergone in the past. They were things Mr. A could not do without, it was reported.
Mr. A revealed that the wallet was an expensive luxury item. “If someone had bad intentions, they could have simply pocketed the wallet,” he said, adding, “I was also deeply moved to realize that no one had taken it and it was still right there, even after being left outdoors for over an hour.”
He added, “I don’t know whether she lives in Korea or is a tourist, but I hope my gratitude reaches her.”

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter