Incheon man awarded 25 million won found in trash bag

A man in his 60s has been awarded ownership of 25 million won in cash after no owner came forward for six months. The money was discovered on February 10 in a 20-liter trash bag containing old clothes near a villa in Geumgok-dong, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon.

The cash consisted of five bundles of 50,000 won notes, each tied with Bank of Korea bands. Following the discovery, the Incheon Jemulpo Police Station conducted an extensive search, including fingerprint analysis, reviewing CCTV footage, posting notices on the lost and found portal, and interviewing dozens of nearby residents. However, no owner was identified.

Under current lost property laws, if no owner claims the item within six months of a public notice, ownership transfers to the finder, provided they reported the find within seven days. After deducting a 22% tax and approximately 5.77 million won for public notice expenses, the finder received 19.23 million won via bank transfer.