"Why Was This Here?" A Family Breaks Down at the Police Station After Gold Is Found in an Old Rice Cooker

Security Guard Finds Pure Gold While Sorting Recyclables and Reports It to Police
Abandoned Rice Cooker Disposed of During Keepsake Cleanup Confirmed by CCTV
Family in Tears After Recovering Mother's Keepsake

The story has recently come to light of a security guard who discovered gold worth approximately 20 million won in an abandoned electric rice cooker and reported it to the police, enabling the gold to be returned to its rightful owner. It was later confirmed that the gold belonged to a woman who had recently passed away, and her bereaved family was able to recover their mother's keepsake, which they had not realized had been discarded.

25 Don of Pure Gold Found in Abandoned Electric Rice Cooker Returned to Bereaved Family Thanks to Security Guard's Good Deed. Screenshot from 'Korean National Police Agency' YouTube Channel

According to a video released on the National Police Agency's YouTube channel on June 19, a man visited a local police precinct in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, this past April, carrying an electric rice cooker. The man revealed 25 don (93.75 grams) of pure gold, including a gold bar and gold rings, which he had found inside the cooker, and explained, "I discovered these while working as a security guard."

The released closed-circuit (CC) TV footage also captured the moment the gold was found. While performing recycling duties at the apartment complex's waste disposal area, a man in his 70s, who was separating trash, discovered a significant amount of gold stored inside an abandoned rice cooker on the floor. The next day, he went directly to the precinct and entrusted both the cooker and the gold to the police, requesting, "Please find the owner."

Pure gold weighing 93.75 grams found in an abandoned electric rice cooker was returned to the bereaved family thanks to the good deed of a security guard.
'National Police Agency' YouTube capture

The police tracked down the owner of the rice cooker through neighborhood inquiries and CCTV analysis. Not long after, a family who had been contacted by the police visited the precinct. When the police explained how the gold was found inside the cooker, the family members were seen stifling tears, covering their faces with their hands or bowing their heads.

The reason for their surprise was that the abandoned electric rice cooker was a keepsake belonging to their mother, who had passed away not long ago. The police explained that the mother had likely stored the gold bar and gold rings inside the cooker, believing it to be the safest place. It was reported that, while sorting through their mother's belongings, the family had inadvertently discarded the cooker without checking its contents. Upon recovering the keepsake they had not even realized was lost, the bereaved family expressed their gratitude with repeated deep bows.

Twenty-five don of pure gold discovered in an abandoned electric rice cooker was returned to the bereaved family thanks to the good deed of a security guard.
'National Police Agency' YouTube capture

In releasing the video, the National Police Agency commented, "It was a mother's final gift," adding, "The brightest thing that day was not the pure gold, but the warmth of the human heart."

Viewers who watched the video commented, "Thanks to the security guard, the precious keepsake was recovered. Thank you so much," "It feels as if the mother left one last gift. My deepest condolences," and "Both the security guard and the police deserve praise."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.