INCHEON — More than a month after a trash bag containing 25 million won ($18,000) in cash was discovered near a residential complex in Incheon, the owner has yet to come forward, prompting widespread speculation.
According to the Incheon Jungbu Police Station, a report was filed on Oct. 10 that bundles of cash had been found in a 20-liter municipal garbage bag discarded beside a villa in Geumgok-dong, Dong-gu.
The cash was first discovered by a man in his 60s, identified only as A, who was checking the bag while collecting used clothing. While sorting through garments inside, A found five bundles of 50,000-won bills, each wrapped in bank bands of 100 notes, totaling 25 million won. He immediately reported the find to police.
Police have since posted notices on the national lost-and-found portal and in local newspapers, and distributed flyers near the discovery site. No one has come forward claiming ownership. Officers also visited dozens of households in the surrounding area to inquire whether anyone had lost cash, but failed to locate the owner.
Under current lost property law, if no owner appears within six months of the police announcement, A will gain ownership of the cash. Should the owner come forward, the finder is entitled to compensation ranging from 5% to 20% of the item's value.
Following news of the discovery, some internet users suggested the owner might be an elderly person with dementia, citing a similar case in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in April 2024. In that instance, cash was found inside a treadmill left at an apartment recycling station; the owner turned out to be a dementia patient in their 90s. Others have raised the possibility that the money could be illicit funds linked to crimes such as voice phishing.
"We have not yet identified the owner," a police official said. "We also plan to investigate whether the cash may be connected to any criminal activity."
