By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
A growing number of subway riders are forgetting personal items before disembarking. According to Seoul Metro, which runs Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 4, Thursday, there were 33,087 items lost on trains last year, up 22 percent from a year earlier.
Its Lost and Found Center, which takes care of lines one and two; and Chungmuro Station handling lines three and four, 90 lost items are checked in every day on average. Only 72 percent, or 23,795 items, are claimed by their owners.
Handbag were the most checked in items, accounting for 23 percent, followed by electronic gadgets such as mobile phones or MP3 players, at 17 percent. Some passengers even lost cash, amounting to 172 million won last year.
Most incidents take place from March to June and September to December. It seems picnickers were in a good mood and their property slipped their minds, Seoul Metro staff member Lee Gyeong-seon said.
The Lost and Found Offices keep the checked in items for 18 months, after which cash and jewelry are confiscated while other goods are donated to welfare facilities.
In order to retrieve lost items, consult www.seoulmetro.co.kr and select Subway Guide and then Lost and Found. The office is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.