Average of 127 children, disabled and dementia patients reported missing daily

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An average of 127 missing persons reports involving children are filed each day in Korea, government data showed Thursday. The data also reveal that more than 70,000 adults disappear every year, with over 1,000 of them being found dead.

According to data from the National Police Agency, submitted to Rep. Han Byung-do of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, 73,423 children under the age of 18 were reported missing from 2021 to 2023. In the same period, 23,950 people with intellectual, autism spectrum or mental disabilities went missing, while 41,781 cases involved dementia patients. In total, 139,154 individuals were reported missing over the past three years, averaging 127 missing persons daily.

Of those reported missing over the past three years, 21 children, 26 people with disabilities, and 30 dementia patients remain missing.

The data also show a substantial number of missing adult cases, with 216,042 reports filed over the past three years. In 2021, there were 66,259 missing adults, which increased to 74,936 in 2022, and slightly dropped to 74,847 last year. The number of missing adults found deceased stood at 1,445 in 2021, 1,200 in 2022, and 1,084 in 2023.

“To effectively respond to the issue of missing persons, whether they are children, dementia patients, or adults, we need a real-time information-sharing system,” Han said, urging the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to work with local governments and the police to build prevention and support systems.

By Ahn Sung-mi(sahn@heraldcorp.com)