A South Korean homeless man told the police last Thursday he had lost a wallet containing 1.91 billion won ($1.8 million) in it, local media reported Monday.

The 53-year-old surnamed Park reported to the police at Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, that he was missing a wallet which had contained 19 cashier’s checks each worth 100 million won, along with 12 million won in cash. Park said he had lost the wallet after he fell asleep on the subway en route to Bucheon Station.

Police asked the bank to nullify what Park claimed to be his checks and began an investigation.

“We are considering multiple possibilities, including theft, since his wallet was lost while he was sleeping,” said an official from the Regional Railroad Police.

Investigators found that Park’s age and name matched those of the famous “5-billion-won homeless man,” whose story was made pubic in news reports two years ago.

In August 2011, Park told the authorities that he lost a bag while sleeping in a park. After police caught the man who stole the bag, they found in it 10 million won worth of valuables and 5 million won in cash.

It was later revealed that Park had inherited some 5 billion won from his parents when he was young.

Despite his wealth, Park said that he “failed to find a particular interest in the world.” He has no home, no job, no spouse and said that sleeping in the streets suited him best, as lodging in a hotel or a motel was like “living in prison.”

Park deposited all his money in the bank in 2010, and had been living off the interest since, according to the authorities.

“I can’t tell you the specifics, but he gets over 10 million won in interest every month,” a police official said.

By Yoon Min-sik and news reports
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)