After 35 years of searching, activist still fights indifferent system for Korea's missing

Na Joo-bong, a 69-year-old activist, has dedicated over three decades to the search for missing persons in Korea. Recently, he expressed no surprise at a situation where a Jeju police officer prematurely closed numerous missing persons cases, including that of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who had been missing for months. Na, who serves as the chief of the National Organization of Finding Missing Children and Family, highlighted the widespread issue within the police department, noting that many stations lack dedicated missing persons investigation teams.

He explained that such work entails cases involving both children and adults, as well as runaways, often leading to a heavy workload with little tangible progress. The gravity of the situation became apparent in August following the Jeju officer's admission to closing multiple cases without confirming the missing individuals' whereabouts.

Tragically, Jang Mi-ran's remains were later discovered, and the officer acknowledged the practice of closing cases to evade additional responsibilities. While public awareness has been raised concerning missing adults, the existing Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children only applies to individuals under the age of 18, as well as those with intellectual disabilities.