"Thought It Was 5,000 Won, But It Was 500 Million"... The Surprising Story of an Accidental First Prize Lottery Win

Lottery Ticket Bought During Post-Surgery Recovery Walk

Wins First Prize

A person purchasing a lottery ticket on a mobile device. This photo is for illustrative purposes and is not directly related to the article content. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

A story has gone viral about a person who won first prize in the lottery after going for a walk to aid their recovery following surgery.

According to Donghaeng Lottery, the official lottery operator, on August 31, Mr. A, who won first prize in the 109th round of "Speetto 1000," ended up claiming 500 million won. Mr. A was spending time at home recovering after surgery and decided to buy a lottery ticket during a walk at a lottery shop in Seongbuk District, Seoul.

Mr. A recalled, "While out for a walk as part of my exercise, I bought seven tickets of Speetto 1000 without much expectation and returned home. While scratching the tickets alone at home, I discovered I had won. Occasionally, I’ve won small amounts, so when I saw the letter 'O,' I just thought I’d won 5,000 won and didn’t think much of it."

He continued, "As I was checking and organizing all seven tickets, I looked at the winning ticket once more and couldn’t believe my eyes. The prize, which I thought was 5,000 won, actually turned out to be 500 million won. I was so shocked in that instant—it felt surreal, almost like I was dreaming."

He added, "I had never imagined that such incredible luck would come my way, so winning this prize feels even more unbelievable, and even now it hasn’t sunk in. My spouse, upon hearing the news, just kept repeating that they couldn’t believe it either."

Mr. A went on to say, "I had been going through a hard time while recovering from surgery, so winning such an unexpected stroke of luck makes me even more grateful. I think this win will serve as a huge source of comfort and motivation to regain my strength." Mr. A plans to use the prize money to repay loans.

Speetto 1000 is an instant lottery where players scratch off the ticket, and if their numbers match the lucky numbers, they win the prize. The first prize is 500 million won.

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