After 35 years of searching, activist still fights indifferent system for Korea's missing
Na Joo-bong has spent 35 years searching for missing people. For him, the recent case of a Jeju police officer who prematurely closed multiple missing persons cases was no surprise. “Among 262 police stations in Korea, many lack missing persons investigation teams. It’s a department officers avoid, since the work spans missing children and adults, as well as runaways, with a heavy caseload and…
For over three decades, activist Na Joo-bong has tirelessly searched for the missing in Korea. Recently, his frustration deepened when a Jeju police officer closed numerous missing persons cases without proper investigation. Na, 69, chief of the National Organization of Finding Missing Children and Family, lamented the lack of dedicated missing persons investigation teams in many police stations across the country.
"Among 262 police stations in Korea, many lack missing persons investigation teams," he explained. "It's a department officers avoid, given the heavy caseload and lack of tangible results."
The issue came to light in August when it was discovered that the Jeju officer had prematurely closed the case of Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman missing for months. Only after her remains were found did the officer admit to closing multiple such cases to relieve the additional workload. This revelation has brought attention to the plight of missing adults, but current legislation falls short.
The Act on the Protection and Support of Missing Children only applies to individuals who went missing before their 18th birthday, as well as those with intellectual disabilities.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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