Topic Public Service Means... A Suwon City Official Gave "Hope" to a Citizen Who Considered Giving Up on Life

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] A woman in her 50s, Ms. A, living in a rental apartment in Suwon found it difficult to see any hope in her life.

She was so exhausted both mentally and physically that she thought about giving up on everything three or four times a day.

She had not paid her rent for several months, and to make matters worse, she had unpaid local taxes and fines, and even her bank account was frozen.

Finding it difficult to see a way forward, she tried to find daily wage work, but it was not easy.

On top of that, her son in his 20s, whose leg ligament had torn a few months ago, was at home without receiving hospital treatment.

In this situation, Ms. A made a final decision as a last resort to settle her remaining assets.

While organizing her surroundings to pay even a small portion of her unpaid local taxes and fines, she filed for public auction of her vehicle, which she had owned for over 10 years.

Hearing of this, Shin Yong-chul, an official of the Tax Collection and Delinquency Tracking Team in Suwon City, went to Ms. A's apartment parking lot in mid-December of last year to proceed with the vehicle auction process.

While having the vehicle towed, he carefully asked about the reasons for her tax arrears.

Ms. A, looking haggard, said, "I live with my son, and we have nothing. We even went hungry for several days because we had no food."

Hope Sprouted with One Word: "Stay Strong"

Upon hearing Ms. A's situation, Official Shin said, "You should at least have food to eat right now, shouldn't you?" and suggested going to the supermarket together.

Ms. A shed tears upon hearing such warm words after a long time. She waved her hand saying "It's okay" and returned home.

Since she had wanted to settle everything, she did not want to be indebted to anyone.

Official Shin felt anxious that something bad might happen to Ms. A's family if he left them like this.

He wanted to give her even a small amount of money, so he looked around for nearby ATMs.

He could not find any. He only had 4,000 won in his pocket.

Then he spotted a truck selling hotteok (Korean red bean pancakes). He bought six hotteok for 4,000 won and went to Ms. A's home.

Official Shin comforted her saying, "Stay strong!" and handed her the hotteok before leaving.

Ms. A burst into tears. She cried for a long time. That day, the hotteok tasted particularly delicious.

She suddenly thought, "Should I continue living?"

Bringing rice and side dishes, and visiting the delinquent taxpayer again

That Saturday, Official Shin Yong-chul came to her home with rice, side dishes, and instant noodles.

Official Shin said, "Suwon City officials work for Suwon citizens, so you don't need to apologize and can enjoy these meals." He once again said "Stay strong!" and left.

Ms. A, who had been nearly starving for several days, cooked rice for the first time in a while.

Her son mixed freshly cooked rice with soy sauce and ate it, then said, "I'll try to find part-time work," and left the house dragging his injured leg.

With rice and side dishes available, she felt as if she had become rich. She had all three meals a day for a week.

It was genuine happiness she had felt in a long time. Now she felt she could do anything.

Official Shin frequently called to check on her well-being.

He provided various information: job opportunities, ways to receive help from the community welfare center, free legal consultation, and how to apply for tax adjustment at the tax office.

Ms. A went to receive free legal support counseling, visited the tax office to inquire about tax adjustment applications, and also visited the Health Insurance Service and the National Pension Service.

On the last night of 2025, he was there to support her

On the last night of 2025, she heard someone touching the door handle. Startled, Ms. A shouted, "Who is it?"

Official Shin Yong-chul was standing there holding a plastic bag with tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (Korean blood sausage), and fried food.

He said sheepishly that he had intended to hang the bag on the door handle and leave. Official Shin said, "It got so cold on the way here that all the food cooled down," and asked her to "definitely reheat it and enjoy it."

Met at Suwon City Hall on the 9th, Official Shin said, "When I visited on December 31st, her face looked better than when we first met, and her expression was much brighter," and added, "As I turned to leave, she said, 'I'll bring you good news soon.'"

Ms. A's bank account had been frozen due to unpaid fines, so she could not receive wages even when working daily wage jobs.

She consulted by phone with Ma Jae-chul, an official of the Tax Collection and Joint Escrow Task Force (TF) Team, and shared her situation.

Official Ma listened attentively with a kind voice for a long time.

He guided her on solutions and said, "Call me anytime if anything comes up." With Official Ma's warm words, Ms. A gained strength to live once again.

Suwon City stepped in. Applied for emergency crisis family support program

Suwon City guided Ms. A on how to apply for basic living assistance and helped her with the application.

Additionally, the city guided her on applying for an emergency crisis family support program run by a private large corporation.

Ms. A was to receive support for overdue rent, living expenses, and daily necessities. She is actively searching for a job.

This good deed became known when Ms. A posted about it on January 5th on the Suwon City website's "Let's Praise" bulletin board.

She also did not forget to express her gratitude to Officials Shin Yong-chul and Ma Jae-chul.

Ms. A said, "I deeply thank Teacher Shin Yong-chul for helping me find hope and gratitude," and repeatedly expressed her appreciation, saying, "I will live well and definitely repay this kindness."

Regarding this, Official Shin Yong-chul said, "I sent kimchi by courier a few days ago, and she thanked me saying, 'I had kimchi for the first time in a long while,'" and added, "I will continue to stay in contact and check on Ms. A's family until they become self-sufficient."