DONATION BY STREET VENDOR

[Anchor Lead]

A street vendor selling fish-shaped buns donates 3.65 million won a year to help those in need. He has continued the charity for a decade.

[Pkg]

At a street stall in a college district, crowds of customers line up to buy winter time's signature snack, the bungeobbang or fish-shaped buns with filling.

[Soundbite] Song Jin-seop(Customer) : "This place is delicious. So I hardly go to a bun seller near my house and usually come here."

Kim Nam-soo bakes the crispy buns stuffed with sweet red bean filling. He sets aside 10,000 won a day from his sales and donates 3.65 million won each year. The locals call him, endearingly, the "Bungeobbang Ajeossi."

[Soundbite] Kim Nam-soo(Bun(Bungeobbang) Seller) : "Even though I am not financially comfortable, I am willing to share what I have. So I have donated 10,000 won every day."

He has continued this charitable act for now already a decade. Despite plunging sales amid the prolonged pandemic, he has never thought about skipping a year of donation. The local government thanked Kim for sharing with those in need.

[Soundbite] Jung Hun-yul(Iksan Mayor) : "I hope that the 'Happy Virus' will spread across the local community and the entire city will care about those in need."

Kim works 12 hours a day in sub-zero weather.

[Soundbite] Kim Nam-soo(Bun(Bungeobbang) Seller) : "In difficult times, it would be better and maybe we'd even be happier if we could help and share with others."

He hopes that the happiness and joy of sharing will spread across the local community.