I found the money in the ATM and gave it back... I regret it a bit > Issue

Just as the title says — I found 300,000 KRW (about $230) sitting in the dispenser at an ATM.

No one was around. It looked like someone had withdrawn the money and simply forgotten to take it.

I was with my 9-year-old son at the time, and he asked me, “Do we get to keep it?”

I told him, “The right thing to do is to return it.” I figured it was a good opportunity to teach him about honesty and doing the right thing.

The problem was, it was Sunday and the bank was closed. So we had to wait until Monday.

On Monday, I went to the bank and explained what had happened. The employee said no one had reported any lost cash yet, but they would deposit it back into the bank system. If someone comes later asking about missing money, they’ll try to verify it during the monthly reconciliation process.

No real acknowledgment or appreciation — just a quick “Thank you.” And that was that.

Honestly, we could’ve used that money. But I suppose showing my kid the value of integrity was worth it.

Still… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about that money from time to time.