Death of shoeshiner touches many hearts

The death of a 55-year-old shoeshiner who regularly donated a portion of his small income to the needy has touched hearts across the nation.

Lee Chang-sik died of acute sepsis on Monday after collapsing suddenly, according to The Beautiful Foundation, a non-profit charity group that Lee had donated to for over a decade. 

The bootblack in the eastern Seoul district of Seongdong had donated about 10,000 won ($9) ― 1 percent of his monthly income ― for the last 11 years since 2001. He also gave spare change he received from his customers to the foundation for 26 years.

He voluntarily signed up to donate his organs in 2007.

Lee suffered from alcoholism after a divorce, but lived a new life after he began to donate.

Though he scratched out a living supporting his daughter and elderly mother, he had never stopped giving part of his income to the needy through five different charity accounts and shared his shoe-shining skills with others.

Having long suffered from pneumonia due to exposure to chemicals from shoe polish, Lee collapsed Monday morning at his home and did not recover.

Charity officials and his neighbors attended his funeral. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon also offered his condolences at the funeral.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)