Homeless Man Weeping in the Heatwave Reunites With Family After 30 Years Thanks to Police

A Man in His 50s Found Crying on a Seongnam Street
Reunited With His Brother After 30 Years Thanks to Police Persuasion

A story of a man in his 50s, who had been suffering from the heatwave while living homeless, reuniting with his family thanks to the warm attention of the police, has moved many people.

According to Yonhap News Agency on August 7, Seongnam Jungwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received a report at 7:36 a.m. the previous day from a passerby about "a man crying loudly" on a street in Hadaewon-dong, Jungwon District, Seongnam City.

At the time, a heatwave warning had been in effect in Seongnam for two days, and scorching heat had persisted even from the morning.

Seongnam Jungwon Police Station, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

After receiving the report, Officer Son Seong-uk (age 35) from Dochon Police Box was dispatched to the scene and found a homeless man in his 50s, referred to as Mr. A, and brought him to the police box. When Officer Son asked Mr. A why he had been crying on the street, Mr. A confessed, "It was so difficult and heartbreaking to be living homeless in this hot weather, so I cried."

Officer Son handed Mr. A a towel soaked in water to help lower his body temperature, and continued to converse with him to keep him conscious. During their conversation, Mr. A's poignant story was revealed.

Mr. A had cut off contact with his family and left his hometown of Yeosu, Jeollanam-do about 30 years ago, continuing a homeless life. For the past six years, he had been wandering around Jungwon District in Seongnam. He explained that he had suffered from congenital polio and did not want to burden his family with medical expenses or economic hardship, which is why he had no choice but to leave his home.

After hearing his story, Officer Son checked records and found that Mr. A's older brother, in his 60s, Mr. B, had previously reported his brother missing. Officer Son then obtained the contact information for Mr. A’s family. Although Mr. A was strongly opposed to contacting his brother out of concern for burdening his family, he eventually agreed thanks to Officer Son’s persistent persuasion.

Mr. A's older brother, B, left Yeosu and arrived at the police box five hours later. The two brothers, reunited after more than 30 years, shed tears together. Mr. B expressed his gratitude, saying, "I will take my younger brother back to Yeosu and take care of him."

An official from the police stated, "We will continue to do our utmost to pay close attention to the citizens struggling in the severe heat and provide them with assistance."

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