Pair caught taking coins from Cheonggyecheon in broad daylight
A man and a woman were seen collecting the coins, which belong to the city once they hit the water and are donated to children's programs at home and abroad.
A man and a woman are seen collecting coins tossed by visitors making wishes into the Somangseok, or Wish Stone, in central Seoul's Cheonggyecheon.
SCREEN CAPTURE
A viral video of a man and a woman collecting wishing coins tossed into Cheonggyecheon in Jongno District, central Seoul, is sparking public outrage on Tuesday. The coins legally belong to the city and are donated to educational programs for children in Korea and abroad every year.
The pair were seen in the act near the stream's Somangseok, or Wish Stone.
Installed in 2008, the stone structure is one of Cheonggyecheon's best-known attractions, where visitors traditionally toss coins into its center while making a wish.
The footage shows a woman carrying an umbrella and wearing slippers wading into the stream in broad daylight and bending down to collect coins. Moments later, she pointed toward the Somangseok and directed a man nearby to retrieve additional coins from inside the structure. The two then placed the coins in their pockets and bags before calmly leaving the scene.
The pair collected the coins in full view of numerous bystanders, including young children and families.
A sign posted at the site explains that coins collected from Palseokdam are used to support educational programs for children in Korea and overseas through the Seoul Scholarship Foundation, now known as the Seoul Future Foundation, and Unicef Korea.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government collects the coins every day, washes and sorts them, then donates Korean coins to the scholarship foundation for student scholarships and foreign coins through Unicef Korea.
After the video spread online, the Seoul Facilities Corporation said it was preparing to file a police report.
The corporation said it would work with police to identify the pair and determine whether they could be charged.
To prevent similar incidents, it also plans to install additional fixed security cameras near the site and increase patrols and public awareness efforts.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
