Man returns money he stole from temple 27 years ago with apology letter, donation
A man has returned the 30,000 won (P1,200) he stole from a temple's donation box when he was a kid 27 years ago, along with an apology letter and monetary donation worth 2 million won (over P80,000).
According to a report by The Korea Times, a staff member found an envelope containing the donation and apology letter in the donation box situated at Jajangam Hermitage's Tongdo Temple in Gyeongsang, South Korea.
In the letter, an anonymous writer confessed that he stole 30,000 won from the donation box at the hermitage during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
"I was thoughtless as a child," the letter read, as translated from Korean to English by the media outlet. "I remember taking a donation box from Jajangam 27 years ago, climbing up the mountain and stealing about 30,000 won from it."
He continued that he went back to the temple a few days later to steal again, but was stopped by a monk.
“He caught me by the shoulder, closed his eyes, and silently shook his head. Nothing happened that day, and I went home,” he narrated.
The sender went on to share how the incident changed him and motivated him to live a good life.
"Since that day, I have never desired anything that wasn't mine. I have worked hard and lived a good life. Looking back now, I think the monk cast a spell that guided me to be good,” he wrote.
He later apologized for not returning the stolen money sooner. "I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier. I hope you can think of it as a temporary loan,” he said.
“I'm expecting a baby soon, and I want to be a proud and honorable father to my child. Thank you so much, monk. I'm sorry again,” he continued.
According to the report, the official from the temple shared that the said monk, who is still residing at the temple, still remembers the incident, recalling that the young boy at the time was in elementary or middle school.
They added that many people attempted to steal from the donation box amid the challenges during the financial crisis.
"It was such a difficult time, and everyone was struggling, so we didn’t try to catch the thieves. We just let them go,” the monk said, per the outlet.
He also expressed his best wishes to the anonymous writer, saying, "I believe you will become a wonderful father who will not feel ashamed in front of your soon-to-be-born child. I wish you a future filled with good things."