A 7-year-old girl and an apology letter in the elevator

At 9:20 AM on December 5, 2025, 7-year-old Ire, wearing her kindergarten backpack, stood in the elevator waiting for her mother and younger sibling. As the doors were about to close and the two still hadn't come out, she panicked and pressed the "door open" button, holding it down for a long time. Waiting and seeing no one, Ire ran out to look, then stepped back in and continued pressing the button, almost without letting go.

When her mother and sibling finally appeared, the little girl breathed a sigh of relief. But that very moment left the mother deeply troubled: during the busy morning rush hour, holding the elevator for so long might have inconvenienced other residents.

Ire's mother, Kim Eun-ji, could only sternly remind her daughter at the time for bothering others. What weighed on her mind all day was that she couldn't apologize right then to those who might have been affected.

"My home is on the 27th floor. In a building with so many apartments, someone might have had to wait. I should have realized that and apologized to the residents immediately, but I was so taken aback that I only thought to scold my child," Ire's mother shared.

What made the story special was how the family chose to make amends. That evening, after work, she and her daughter returned to the elevator holding two pieces of paper.

One sheet contained Ire's still-scrawled handwriting: "This morning, I held the elevator so others had to wait. I am truly sorry. I will not do that again."

The other sheet was the mother's apology, which not only explained the incident but also frankly took responsibility for not educating her child properly, while promising to guide her so it wouldn't happen again.

In the cabin space typically reserved for transit, the two small letters became a point where attention—and emotion—paused.

The next morning, residents in the building did not blame them in front of those two sheets of paper. Instead of complaining, they stuck up small notes with words of encouragement: "Thank you for bravely apologizing," "Your parenting is truly admirable," "I'm sorry too for not understanding you," "Your wonderful letters warmed my heart."

Some residents posted photos on social media with the caption "This is how to teach a child…," leading the story to be covered by the press and become a hot topic. Little Ire said that while she was embarrassed because everyone knew her mistake, she also felt proud.

Her mother later shared that thanks to the warm response from the neighbors, Ire understood something: when you make a mistake, you must apologize; living in a community means respecting shared rules, and you cannot inconvenience others for your own convenience.

A week after taking down the apology letters, Ire wanted to preserve the precious kindness of her neighbors, so she displayed them in her room.

Ire's mother also expressed her gratitude in a comment. "Thanks to the residents who responded to my child's mistakes with encouragement and comfort, both my child and I have learned so much," she wrote.

Preparing to start elementary school in early March, Ire also decided to cut her long hair to participate in a campaign donating hair to make free wigs for children under 20 with cancer. A small decision, but one born from thinking about friends she has never met.

The story began with a "door open" button in an elevator, but what it opened up was a lesson about responsibility, apology, and how a child grows up with the companionship of family and community.