"Man Wept Openly on the Street" — Police Didn't Look Away, Reuniting Him With Family After 30 Years

A man in his 50s experiencing homelessness, who was crying on the street exhausted from the relentless heatwave, has returned to the arms of his family after 30 years with the help of the police.

Gyeonggi Seongnam Jungwon Police Station received a 112 report from a passerby at around 7:36 AM yesterday (August 6) stating that "a man is crying loudly" on a street in Hadewon-dong, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam.

At the time, a heatwave warning had been in effect in the Seongnam area since two days prior, and sweltering heat continued from early in the morning.

Police Officer Son Sung-wook (35) of the Dochon Patrol Division, who was dispatched to the scene, brought Mr. A, a homeless man in his 50s, to the patrol station.

When Officer Son asked about his situation, Mr. A confessed, "It was so difficult and sorrowful to live on the streets in this hot weather, which is why I was crying."

Officer Son handed him a wet towel to lower Mr. A's body temperature while continuing to talk with him to ensure he did not lose consciousness.

Through this process, Mr. A's story came to light.

Mr. A said that he had cut off contact with his family and left his hometown of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, about 30 years ago, and had been living homeless in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam, for the past six years.

Mr. A, who suffers from congenital polio, explained that he left his hometown because he did not want to impose a financial burden, such as medical expenses, on his family.

Upon hearing his story, Officer Son checked records showing that Mr. A's older brother, a man in his 60s named Mr. B, had previously filed a missing person report regarding his younger brother, allowing Officer Son to secure a contact number.

At first, out of concern that he would be a burden to his family, Mr. A strongly refused to contact his older brother.

However, after Officer Son persuaded him for about an hour, Mr. A finally agreed to make contact.

Upon receiving the call from the police, the older brother immediately departed from Yeosu and arrived at the patrol station where his younger brother was located within five hours.

Embracing his younger brother after some 30 years, Mr. B shed tears and expressed his gratitude to the police, saying, "I will take my brother back to Yeosu and take good care of him."

A police official stated, "We will continue to do our utmost to carefully look after and assist citizens struggling due to the extreme heat."

(Photo: Provided by Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)

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