The police have launched an investigation after cash and gift certificates worth approximately 400,000 won went missing from a lost wallet that had been turned in to a police station.
On March 27, a report was filed at the Eoeun Community Policing Center under the Yuseong Police Station by a citizen who stated they had found a wallet.
The wallet contained cash and department store gift certificates valued at 420,000 won.
Following standard lost-and-found procedures, the police notified the owner of the wallet, a person in their 30s identified as A, who had previously reported the wallet as lost.
When A visited the police station to retrieve the wallet, they discovered that the cash and gift certificates were missing.
Having received no explanation regarding the whereabouts of the valuables, A suspected that the items had been stolen while in police custody and filed a complaint against the officers in charge at the Yuseong Police Station for theft.
Generally, when a lost item is turned in to a community policing center or a patrol division, it is transferred to the lost-and-found department of the competent police station and kept in its original state until the owner arrives to claim it.
The Daejeon Jungbu Police Station, which was assigned the case, is focusing on the fact that the valuables disappeared while in storage and is investigating the possibility of internal involvement, looking into charges of embezzlement.
The police are currently investigating all relevant personnel, including the staff who received the lost item and those responsible for its storage.
"If any wrongdoing is uncovered, we will proceed with both criminal punishment and disciplinary procedures against the individuals involved," the police stated.
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jung Yong-hee | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
Cash Goes Missing from Wallet Turned In to Police Station
By Jung Da-eun | Jun 19, 2026
