Anonymous shopper repays childhood theft nearly 20 years later

Most donations arrive quietly.

This one?

It came with a confession.

An E-mart in Cheongju recently discovered a handwritten letter and 250,000 won ($165) left inside the city's "Dream Box" donation station.

The anonymous letter contained a secret someone had been carrying for nearly two decades.

"Back in the day as a thoughtless child, driven by curiosity and a childish prank, I once took a pencil case and some stationery from E-Mart without paying for them," the confession began.

"Even after ne ...