[Reporter's notebook] Behind the snowy scenes of the gentlemen and the homeless man

The sight of a man offering his coat and gloves to a homeless man was unexpected

A man offers his coat and gloves to a homeless man in front of Seoul Station on Jan. 18. (photos by Baek So-ah)

At 12 seconds past 10:31 am, on Jan. 18, 2021, I was frantically squeezing the shutter. I was in such a hurry I could barely register what I was seeing. That’s how my freezing fingers were able to capture such a surreally heartwarming moment on camera.

As a photojournalist at the Hankyoreh, my beat is the asphalt — I hit the streets to bring you the news. The photo I shot at the plaza in front of Seoul Station last Monday in heavy snowfall got a lot of attention when it was printed on the front page of the Hankyoreh’s Jan. 19 edition.

That’s why I want to candidly share what happened that day — a story that even I, the photographer, can hardly believe. It was the kind of moment I’m not sure I’ll ever experience again as a photojournalist.

That Monday morning, I was waiting at Seoul Station for President Moon Jae-in’s New Year’s press conference. I wanted to get a photo of Koreans watching the press conference on television screens in the concourse.

After getting some photographs on the second floor of the station, I took the escalator down to ground level. That’s when I saw it was snowing outside.

A man offers his coat and gloves to a homeless man in front of Seoul Station on Jan. 18. (photos by Baek So-ah)

As a photojournalist, it’s my job to photograph the rain when it’s wet, the heat when it’s hot, and the wind when it blows.

One of the things I’ve learned on the job is that if something catches my eye, I’ve got to get a picture of it. Too many times, I’ve put off taking a photograph, only to miss the crucial moment.

So as a matter of course, I headed out to the plaza. Photographers from other newspapers were also distractedly walking through the snow.

But with the snow coming down so thickly, I stood for a moment under the awning at the bottom of the escalator.

That’s when I saw it. From the instant the gentleman took off his coat and put it on the homeless man, I was holding the camera and clicking the shutter. The gentleman gave the other man gloves from his pocket and then handed him something else — though at first, I couldn’t quite see what it was.

A man offers his coat and gloves to a homeless man in front of Seoul Station on Jan. 18. (photos by Baek So-ah)

But the people standing nearby were giving a running account of the proceedings like commentators at a sports game, and I soon figured out what was going on.

“He’s taking off his coat! He gave him his gloves, too. Whoa, and there’s a 50,000 won [US$45] note.”

I was too far away to catch all the details, even with my telephoto lens. Soon enough, the gentleman ambled off toward Seoul-ro Street.

Coming to my senses, I started chasing after him, but then briefly paused by the homeless man.

“Did that guy give you all this — the coat, the gloves, and the money?”

“Yeah.”

Then I went on toward Seoul-ro, but by then, the gentleman was already gone.

For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. I had no idea what the gentleman’s motivations were, and I hadn’t been able to get permission for running the photograph.

Even at that point, I hadn’t quite wrapped my head around what I’d seen, and what photos I’d taken. Checking my camera, I’d only gotten 27 shots during a 34-second window.

That was far fewer than the 100-200 shots I typically take on an assignment. And because of the snowflakes, only a handful of the shots were in focus.

That evening, I made my way back to Seoul Station to do some fact-checking for the incredible thing I’d seen that morning. I went out looking for the homeless person based on the photos I’d taken. The only clue in the photos was his colorful pants.

A man offers his coat and gloves to a homeless man in front of Seoul Station on Jan. 18. (photos by Baek So-ah)

But fortunately, a security guard at Seoul Station who is familiar with the homeless people in the area helped me find the man in the underground passageway at the station.

That gave me a chance to hear the whole story about what had happened that morning, including the fact that the two men had been unacquainted.

The homeless man himself seems to have been bewildered by the kindness shown by the stranger after he’d asked for a cup of coffee on a cold day.

I took in the things I hadn’t noticed in my rush to take photos that morning — the homeless man’s thin pajama bottoms, the green military jacket that wasn’t designed for the winter, the flimsy sneakers. I felt somewhat ashamed that the gentleman had noticed what I hadn’t.

To be honest, I was surprised by the reaction to the photo, including the flood of comments online. I was grateful for the kind comments and encouraging emails.

At the same time, I was also worried that my photos may have inconvenienced the gentleman in the photograph.

I’d like to use this article to send him a message. As a token of my gratitude, and the gratitude of the Hankyoreh’s readers, I’d like to treat the gentleman who disappeared into the snowfall to a hot cup of coffee. If it’s not too much to ask, I hope you’ll drop me a line.

By Baek So-ah, staff photographer

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]