Buyer of last lottery ticket at shop wins 1st and 2nd prizes simultaneously

A man who buys lottery tickets every week struck remarkable luck after picking up the last remaining set at a retailer — and winning both first and second prizes at once.

According to Dong Haeng Lottery, a buyer at a ticket shop in Seo-gu, Busan, won one first-prize ticket and four second-prize tickets simultaneously in the 331st showing of the pension lottery.

The winner, identified only as A, said he regularly buys lotto and pension lottery tickets, and has made a habit of purchasing them every week to spend the days leading up to the draw with the hopeful thought that he, too, could win.

That day, A visited the shop as usual to buy tickets and spotted a single set of pension lottery tickets left on the shelf.

"The last remaining set of pension lottery tickets caught my eye," he said. "So I told the owner, 'I'll take these,' and bought them."

A week later, before heading back to the shop to buy more tickets, A checked the pension lottery winning numbers. At first, seeing that the last two digits matched, he assumed he had won sixth prize. But as he kept checking, he realized he had won one first-prize ticket and four second-prize tickets at the same time.

"I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or awake, and I checked again and again to make sure I hadn't misread it," he said.

A said he told his family the news, exclaiming that something big had happened. His spouse was stunned but overjoyed, while his son, currently serving in the military, refused to believe it at first, telling him to stop joking.

"I've tried to live honestly without causing trouble for others, so I feel truly happy and grateful that such great luck has come my way," he added.

Before the win, A's spouse had dreamed that an aunt who had been a senior Buddhist monk appeared after a long absence and embraced her warmly.

The first prize in the pension lottery pays 7 million won ($5,070) per month for 20 years. After taxes, the monthly take-home amount comes to about 5.46 million won. Second-prize winners receive 1 million won per month for 10 years, with a monthly take-home of about 780,000 won.